Still Worth Fighting For
by Yachiru-Chan2008
Summary: In a world full of death and loss, it's hard to keep yourself cheerful. It's even harder to keep the people around you cheerful, but there are a few people who manage that well. Hal is one of those people. So is the girl he saves. HalxOC, no Mary Sue
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, all. Falling Skies Fanfiction is just terrible! Too few stories, and none that are long... To fight this blasphemy, I sat down and wrote a relatively long story to, hopefully, inspire people to write more. The story is named what it is because I often listened to Still Worth Fighting For by My Darkest Days while writing it =)**

**Please read, review, and enjoy!**

**Emphasis on that review part, cause I love reviews =P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Falling Skies, nor any of its characters.**

* * *

><p>Running used to be something I did for fun. I would run track, and soccer was my favorite sport. I remember that my coach taught a class of children under ten at a park beside my high school. Every day, I'd go there after school and help him teach them. I was so good with them, and liked them all so much, that we would all stay after the lesson every day so that I could help them with school.<p>

As I leapt over a fallen tree, I recalled fondly that those were the happiest days of my life. "Lissy!" The girl on my back cried out in alarm, making me push myself even faster. My feet pounded on the cement, and I saw a fence up ahead, blocking me from the other side of the road.

"Shit!" I cursed, but didn't slow my speed. I could hear the steps behind me and knew that I couldn't slow for even a second. "Hold on, Ci!" I shouted, feeling the girl's arms tighten around my neck and her legs grip my waist even tighter. I felt like she was a centimeter from cutting off my air supply, but I didn't complain, knowing it was necessary. I raced towards the fence, grabbing the top of it and swinging over it sideways without hesitation, Cecilia shrieking on my back.

My feet hit the ground before I had a chance to regain my balance, and I stumbled forward. A fatal mistake on my part, as an instant later, something collided with me, knocking me to the ground. Cecilia screamed in terror as she was flung from my back, and I saw the eight year old rolling across the pavement. "Run, Ci!" I shouted as I rolled onto my back, facing my attacker just as a clawed foot landed on my chest.

The three claws dug into my chest slightly, enough to barely draw blood, and I cried out at the pain and fear the action brought me. I heard Cecilia scramble to her feet and her shoes hitting the ground as she fled, the monster pinning me down immediately snapping its eyes to her. I felt a bit of slack due to the momentary distraction and instantly reacted, kicking at the monster as hard as I could.

The thing immediately hissed at me, shoving me into the ground. I gasped out a strangled, pained noise as the claws dug further into my chest, and the monster raised a claw in preparation to strike. "Get away from her!" A male voice shouted, making both me and the monster snap our heads towards the sound. An older teenager was running towards us, a gun in his hand. He slowed to a stop, gun raised, and shot without hesitation. I flinched at the sound, pressing my head to the ground, but it wasn't worth it because the bullet hit the monster right in the head.

I yelped as the monster was shoved off me by the force of the blow, yanking the claws out in the process, and landed a few inches away, unmoving. "Are you okay?" The teenager asked as he raced to my side, crouching down beside me. I tore my wide eyes off of the now-dead monster and looked at him, able to tell from the shorter distance that he was probably the same age as me.

"Y-yeah…" I stammered, struggling to sit up. He put a hand on my shoulder, helping me sit and keep my balance. "Where's… Where's Cecilia?" I asked, looking around and struggling to stand.

"Whoa, hold still. You're bleeding… If you mean the little kid, my dad has her. He'll be here any second." The boy tried to assure me, but it only made me look at him suspiciously.

"Who are you?" I demanded sharply, and he looked somewhat annoyed by my rudeness. It's not every day you save someone who turns around and treats you with hostility, I suppose.

"My name is Hal Mason. My dad, Tom Mason, and I are members of the 2nd Mass." He explained and my brows pulled together in confusion.

"The resistance?" I asked and he nodded, opening his mouth to speak when a shout interrupted him.

"Lissy!" I looked over my shoulder to see Cecilia running towards me, a middle-aged man walking behind her, looking around warily. I shook Hal's hand off my shoulder and turned so I was sitting facing the direction Cecilia was coming from. She leapt into my offered arms, hugging herself tightly to me as sobs shook her. I wrapped my arms around her, sighing softly.

"It's okay, Ci. I'm alright. It's just a few scratches, I promise." I murmured comfortingly, ignoring the two men until the adult spoke up.

"We can't stay here. Do you want to come with us back to our base?" The man offered and I blinked at him, having momentarily forgotten about the two men and our location.

"Oh, um…" I glanced around uncertainly. "If I go with you, I can leave at any time, right?"

"Of course." The man agreed with a nod and I nodded in turn.

"Alright… We don't exactly have anywhere else to go at the moment." I said, wrapping one arm under Cecilia's rear while keeping the other around her back and standing, holding her to my painfully wounded chest. The man nodded and began to walk away, and I hesitantly followed, Hal walking alongside me.

"My name is Tom Mason, and that's my son, Hal." The man introduced himself and I nodded, Hal having told me that already, but then realized that I hadn't introduced myself of Cecilia.

"Oh. My name is Alyssa Snow. This is Cecilia Hunter." I explained, motioning to the girl who was quietly crying against my chest, and Tom nodded.

"Pleasure to meet you, Alyssa."

"Pleasure to meet you both, especially since you guys saved my ass." I responded with a light grin.

* * *

><p>"This is where you guys are setting up shop?" I asked in surprise as I looked at the high school before me.<p>

"Yeah. We're here until we get found again." Hal said with a shrug.

"Nice… Plenty of space, I imagine… Hear that, Ci?" I looked over my shoulder at the girl who was now situated on my back, arms wrapped lightly around my neck. I laughed softly when I saw that her eyes were closed and she was sound asleep. "Guess not." I said and Hal snickered beside me. "So what do you guys eat and sleep on?" I asked him curiously.

"Food and cots." He replied with a grin and I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks for being specific there. Is the food going to make me want to eat my own stomach instead of suffering through such agony?" I inquired and he choked on a laugh, trying to keep it quiet.

"Only when it's oatmeal day. Unless you like oatmeal?" He added, raising an eyebrow at me, looking amused at my grimace of disgust.

"Hell to the no." I quipped and he snickered. "Oatmeal is way too bland and… mushy." My nose scrunched up in disgust and he once more smothered a laugh. "Laugh it up, jerk. Let's see how much you'd like it if you had to eat it every morning for five years." I growled with a light grin that he returned.

"I did, but it was for three years." He said and I tilted my head to the side questioningly. "Lacrosse since I was thirteen." He explained. "I was on the team in my junior year when the attack happened." Hal said and I grinned at him.

"Of course. And I suppose you're also a genius on top of being an athlete?" I teased and he grinned.

"Depends on who's asking." He playfully winked and I laughed softly.

"So he's your dad?" I asked him curiously, subtly moving closer so we could talk quieter.

"Yeah. My baby brother, Matt, is here also." Hal added and I nodded, a soft smile tugging at my lips.

"You're lucky." I mused and this time he nodded, though his was solemn.

"Yeah. I know." He murmured. "So, Cecilia?" Hal questioned vaguely, but I caught what he was asking.

"Nope. She's not family, but she's the closest thing I have left to it, and me to her." I said, grinning despite now depressing the words were. "So how does this whole resistance thing work exactly?" I asked him curiously as we slowly approached the school.

"Well, the Massachusetts Resistance is split into twelve groups, each consisting of two hundred civilians and a hundred fighters. Though, at the moment, we've got a hundred and eleven fighters." He explained.

"You included?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Yes, but fighting isn't my primary duty. See, fighters are split into two. The first and primary are the ones who go into battle guns-a-blazing." He explained and I nodded, showing that I was keeping up. "Then there are the scouts. The scouts are the eyes and ears, and scouts search ahead, map out areas, and find supplies. All of us are teenagers since we're the quickest and most nimble."

"Especially athletes." I guessed and he nodded with a grin.

"See? You're catching on." He said and I mock glared at him.

"Thanks, Mr. Condescending." I growled.

"Actually, it's Mason, but close enough." Hal said with a shrug and I rolled my eyes, sticking my tongue out at him and making him chuckle. "Come on. I'll show you somewhere you can let her sleep in peace." He said as they entered the building, Tom splitting off up ahead. I looked questioningly at Hal and he pointed towards the door Tom just went through. "That's the command post. Our regiment leader, Weaver, is in there. He's probably informing him of your arrival."

"Oh…" I murmured, frowning when I saw several people in the halls of the school were watching us walk by warily and untrustingly. "Is my being here going to be a problem?"

"Only until you decide what you're going to do." He said. "Go or stay as a fighter, scout, or civilian." He explained as an afterthought and I nodded with a small 'oh' of realization. "Here." He opened a door and slid inside, and I blinked in surprise at the many cots in the small room. "My family, the doc, and Jimmy all sleep in here. Jimmy is a thirteen year old fighter, so he'll stick out like a sore thumb. Matt is the little blonde runt with an attitude problem." Hal added that last part with a playful grin. "This cot here is free, and so is the one over there." He pointed out two cots and I nodded with a small frown.

"Um… This sounds weird, but is there any way we can combine two of the cots?" I asked. "Cecilia can't sleep without someone with her." I explained and he nodded in understanding, his eyes softening slightly.

"Yeah, sure." He moved forward and lifted one of the light cots up with ease, moving it over to the other one and putting them side-by-side. "Will this work?" He asked and I nodded.

"Perfectly. Thank you." I smiled gratefully at him and he nodded, helping me move Cecilia from my back and onto one of the cots. I kept her hand in mine and sat on the other cot so I was facing her. "So you were an athlete?" I asked and he grinned, sitting down on the edge of the cot opposite of Cecilia's so he was facing me.

"Yeah. I got into lacrosse when I was just ten, and have played ever since. Well, until this, anyways." He motioned around him and I nodded. "What about you?" He asked, eyeing my toned arms and I smirked lightly.

"Are you checking me out, Mr. Mason?" I teased and he laughed loudly.

"In your dreams." He teased but it was good naturedly, so I just laughed in response.

"Soccer and track." I said and he raised an eyebrow at me. "Don't give me that look! I may be shorter than average, but I'm damn quick on my feet."

"Clearly. You _did_ nearly outrun a skitter." He said and I blinked at him owlishly.

"Skitter?"

"Yeah." He raised his eyebrows at me, as though surprised I didn't know what that was. "You know, six-legged freaks from outer space?"

"Oh!" I frowned slightly. "Never thought of a name for them, though that fits."

"So what've you called them all this time, then?" Hal asked incredulously.

"Monsters." I stated simply and Hal snorted.

"How creative and imaginative." He mocked and I rolled my eyes.

"Who needs creative and imaginative names for creatures clearly thought up by the devil?" I retorted and he grinned impishly at me.

"Touché." He raised a hand to tilt an imaginary hat at me, making me laugh softly.

"I see you two are getting along." Hal and I both looked to the doorway to see Tom and an older looking man with an unhappy expression.

"Dad." Hal greeted, motioning towards the sleeping Cecilia.

"Miss Snow, this is Daniel Weaver, the leader of the 2nd Mass." Tom explained, motioning towards the man. "Weaver, this is Alyssa Snow, and the girl is Cecilia Hunter."

"Just Alyssa, please." I said with a greeting bow of the head to the man.

"Well, Miss Snow," Weaver said, ignoring my words. "I hear you were trying to race a skitter?" He inquired and Hal smirked.

"And was winning for a while there." He added and I rolled my eyes.

"Until I ran into a fence." I growled unhappily.

"You mean until you leapt _over_ a fence." Hal corrected and I glowered at him.

"Just how long were you watching me before you decided to, oh, I don't know, _save my life?_" I snapped at him, but he just smirked calmly.

"Long enough to know you're fast as hell." He said.

"Ahem." Weaver interrupted with an annoyed expression and I looked at him again.

"Sorry." I murmured apologetically.

"Do you have any intention to stay here?" Weaver asked and I glanced at Cecilia.

"For the moment, we don't have anywhere else to go… I'd say that there's a high probability of us remaining here, if permitted." I replied after a moment, and Weaver eyed me carefully, and I could tell he was sizing me up. After several moments, he spoke.

"We have too many citizens already, and too few fighters and scouts." He said, but I cut in before he could go further.

"I'll do what it takes to stay here if it means Cecilia is safer. I'm quick on my feet, and track taught me to be light on my feet as well." I said quickly. "If it means Cecilia can stay here, then so long as it's safer for her to, I'll become a fighter or a scout, or whatever I need to be."

"We _are_ low on scouts. It's just me and Dai." Hal added thoughtfully. Weaver was silent for several minutes, eying Hal, Cecilia and I all before finally speaking.

"Okay." Weaver said. "In that case, Professor…" Weaver turned to Tom. "Take her with you when you go to find Ben. Consider it a test run." He said and Tom nodded.

"Yes sir." He agreed and I looked at Hal curiously, wondering who this 'Ben' was.

* * *

><p><strong>Well? What do you guys think? Review!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! I absolutely loved the reviews I got already! Thanks so much for them ^^ I'm glad you guys like this story. Here's chapter 2 =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Falling Skies, nor do I own the people in it... other than Alyssa =)**

* * *

><p>"God damn it!" I yelped, reaching out to punch Hal's bicep. He rubbed his arm with a small grimace, though it was amused.<p>

"You're not doing it right." Hal said patiently.

"No shit, Sherlock! What _ever_ gave you that idea!" I screeched at him and he struggled with the urge to grin.

"Well, the bump on your head, for one." He said, moving just in time to dodge another punch.

"You think you're so cute, don't you?" I asked scathingly, though some of my bite was disappearing.

"What? No!" Hal protested. "I think I'm freakin' adorable." He said playfully, and I jumped at him. Reacting with ease from our practicing, he instantly crouched and put his hands under my feet, shoving me up and behind him. I pushed off his hands as he shoved up, angling myself so I flipped and landed- and then rolled to my feet, turning to look at the spot I'd landed on with wide eyes.

"I did it…" I murmured, raising my eyes to meet Hal's, who was grinning at me. I couldn't help my grin in return, both of us raising our hands simultaneously and slapping them together in a high five. I felt like jumping up and down and squealing like a little girl, but instead settled for simply grinning at Hal. "What next?"

"Well, the next time you ever decide to jump over fences, you want to do what I just taught you…" He teased lightly and I glowered at him playfully.

"What next?" I repeated.

"Next we go for Ben." Hal said and I nodded silently. He seemed tense, and while I was still curious who this 'Ben' was, I didn't want to upset him by asking. It wasn't hard to figure out from his words that this 'Ben' was harnessed, and I figured from Hal's determination to save him that they knew one another well.

"Right. What's the plan?" I asked curiously.

"Not sure yet." Hal replied with a grin. "I don't really care, either, so long as it works." He said and I laughed weakly, making him look at me with a small frown. "You good?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yeah. I'd be better if someone didn't try to break my shoulder blades and neck, though." I added with a playful shove as we started to walk back into the school, and Hal chuckled.

"It's not my fault you're just terrible at martial arts." He teased and I barked out a laugh.

"Yeah, well, martial arts was more my brother's forte. I'm more of a soccer girl, if you recall." I said with a grin and Hal looked at me curiously.

"Brother?" He asked before frowning. "Don't answer that unless you want to." He added quickly but I just smiled at him to show it was okay.

"I had an older brother named Alex." I explained with a fond smile. "He was five years older than me, and I've gotten pretty much all my morals from him."

"Self-sacrificing type?" Hal questioned and I nodded.

"That's actually the way he went, not that it did much good." I said with a shrug.

"It must have, since you're still here." Hal pointed out, but I just smiled softly at him.

"That would imply that he was saving me when he died." I replied and saw the curiosity in Hal's eyes, but he just nodded silently, as though he didn't want to upset me. "You know, you kind of remind me of him."

"Oh, ouch." Hal winced with a smirk, putting a hand over his heart. "Way to shoot down a guy's hope, comparing him to your brother." He shook his head at me as I burst into laughter.

"Are you sure you were on the lacrosse team and not in the drama club?" I mocked and he scowled at me.

"First you wound my heart, now you wound my ego. Abusive!" He cried out and I laughed even harder, moving forward to open the door for him.

"After you, milady." I said with a bow and Hal glared half-heartedly at me before entering the building. I followed in, shaking with laughter. We made our way to the command post, but as I passed the doorway to the infirmary, Anne Glass called out to me.

"Alyssa, could you come in here for a moment?" She asked and I paused with a frown. Hal did as well, looking at me with a raised eyebrow in silent question, but I just shrugged in response.

"I'll catch up." I told him and he nodded, going on as I turned and walked into the infirmary. Anne was holding a piece of paper with an interested expression, holding it out to me when I approached. I took it curiously, looking at the crudely drawn picture and paling. "What is this?" I asked quietly as I took in the drawing.

"Cecilia drew this in class today." Anne explained, her eyes taking my reaction in. "I was hoping you could explain what all this is." She murmured.

"I can definitely understand why you'd want an explanation." I mused, eyeing the picture. "How is she after drawing this?"

"She begged to see you, and wouldn't tell me what this was about." Anne said simply and I nodded.

"I figured… She still doesn't trust anyone else, not that I blame her." I shook my head with a sigh. "Look." I moved so I stood beside her, holding the picture between us. "I'd rather not get into the details, and frankly, Cecilia should tell you herself so you know her point of view, but I will." I said and Anne nodded.

"I agree. I just want to understand some of this… situation here." She said, motioning towards the drawing.

"I don't blame you." I snorted in distaste. "This happened shortly after the initial attack. Cecilia and I were taken by Skitters during the round ups." I explained, recalling how a group of Skitters and Mechs had come to my town and rounded up all the people left over. "They started killing all the adults and children. Cecilia's family was one of the first to go," I pointed at the group of three bodies drawn on the paper, one the size of an infant, "and they started to come after her. I tried to protect her."

I moved my finger to the bleeding body on the ground. "She drew way more blood." I mused offhandedly. "Anyways, they knocked me away and grabbed a harness, but my…" I paused, sighing. "My father stabbed the Skitter, distracting the whole group for a moment. Some of us got away." I concluded vaguely with a shrug.

"I see… Thank you for explaining it all to me." Anne said and I nodded, passing the drawing to her and turning to leave. I paused at the doorway to look at Anne with a frown.

"Thank you for helping her…"

"It's my pleasure, Alyssa." Anne said with a small smile and I grinned.

"You forgot the 'dis'." I teased lightly. "Creepy drawings. Little girls should draw about ponies and sparkles, not mass murder." I grumbled with a dramatic shudder and Anne laughed softly. "See you." I waved goodbye before making my way to the command post to prepare for this new adventure.

* * *

><p>I pressed myself against the doorway as the mechanical steps got closer, cringing when the Mech walked right by the open door. I held my position, staying as close to the wall as I could. "It's gone." Hal said after a moment, the steps fading away, and I relaxed a bit.<p>

"Blind bastard." I whispered and Hal's chest shook with silent laughter.

"I've still yet to understand how a walking mass of metal can see." He confessed in a murmur and I grinned lightly. I opened my mouth to speak when a massive explosion suddenly sounded, shaking the walls, and both Hal and I leapt to our feet. "They must have him." Hal said and I nodded. After all, it was according to plan that they would grab Ben, set off the explosion to thwart any attackers, and then we'd get out.

"Let's go." I said and Hal nodded, both of us rushing out of the building at the same time. We ran out and looked around until I raised my hand to point. "There! There's the truck!" I cried out, seeing Tom and Mike putting someone in the back of it. Hal and I both started running towards it just as Tom race away from it.

"What's he doing?" Hal asked, but a Mech suddenly appeared on the rooftop, firing at Tom. The resounding explosion sent Tom flying forward.

"Shit!" I cursed, raising my gun to aim at the Mech and firing at the same time Hal did. The Mech turned to us and began running across the rooftop towards us. "Hal!" I shouted in alarm, grabbing his collar and jerking him roughly into action. We rounded the building, but the Mech suddenly dropped down, landing right in front of us. My eyes widened in horror as it took aim at us, both of us too frozen to do anything.

Next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground, Hal unconscious a few feet away, and it was night. _What the fuck?_ I wondered, my head pounding and my body feeling limper than a rag doll. I tried to move, but all I could manage was moving my head and fingers. Hal let out a quiet groan and I snapped my eyes to him, seeing him opening his own. "Alyssa?" He mumbled, struggling to move. He rolled onto his abdomen and moved towards me, but froze when a bright light shone on us.

I followed it, alarm pulsing through me, and the alarm skyrocketed when I saw it was a Mech. Hal struggled to his feet as five teenagers walked out of the hospital towards said Mech. I weakly threw one arm over my body, pressing both hands into the dirt and rolling onto my stomach. I struggled to my feet as the teens lined up in front of the Mech, but almost immediately fell to the ground, my eyesight spinning.

"Hal…" I groaned out, seeing a Skitter approaching. Hal spotted it, taking a step closer to me as the Skitter placed itself between the children and us. The Skitter pointed one claw at us, then pointed at the teenagers, making odd noises. The Skitter hissed loudly, and the Mech aimed his gun at the teens. "No!" I shouted, but Hal's own cry overpowered mine just as the Mech fired.

The teenagers all dropped to the ground, blood seeping into the earth as Hal and I watched, eyes wide. The Skitter let out another hiss, this time at us, and then moved into the building, the Mech simply standing there, the light going out. I laid on the ground, staring at the dead teenagers, frozen until I saw movement from the corner of my eye and realized that Hal's shoulder were shaking subtly.

I grimaced as I forced myself back to my feet, damn near losing my balance again and barely remaining upright. "Hal…" I groaned, my head pounding. My vision darkened for a moment, and I lost my balance, about to fall when an arm wrapped around my waist and held me upright. I was limp in Hal's grasp for several moments as the darkness clouding my vision slowly faded.

"Alyssa?" Hal murmured and I realized for the first time that I was trembling rather badly.

"Hal, I need your help." I said, my voice sounding odd to me. "I think I have a concussion…" I struggled to regain my balance, well aware that I was practically a rag doll in Hal's arms.

"Me too." Hal said, his voice shaky. I looked up at him to see he had tears running down his face, which made me realize that I did too. "Come on. Wrap your arm around me. We can steady one another." He said and I shakily laughed.

"Oh, this is going to end badly." I said as I wrapped my arm around his waist as well, and we began to slowly and unsteadily walk away, the Mech not even twitching.

"They left us." Hal said after several minutes of stumbling.

"Yeah." I murmured, having drawn the same conclusion.

"My own father left us there." Hal's voice was empty, and I nudged him lightly.

"Stop it, Hal. I'm sure there's an explanation." I said tiredly, my eyes slipping shut. My arm fell from Hal's waist and my legs gave out, his arm being the only thing stopping me from hitting the ground.

"Alyssa? Alyssa!" Hal hissed urgently and I forced my eyes open, confusion instantly filling me. I was lying on the pavement of a road, and Hal was leaning over me.

"Hal?" I murmured. "What happened?"

"You passed out… Come on." Hal slid his arm around my waist and I did the same to him. He helped me stand up and I mumbled an apology. "Not your fault." Hal said simply and we continued down the road. I don't know how long we went before I saw someone coming towards us.

"Hal." I whispered and he tightened his grip on my waist.

"Who's there?" The figure asked sharply, and I recognized the voice to be Tom.

"Dad?" Hal questioned weakly, clearly drawing the same conclusion.

"Hal?" Tom's voice was alarmed as he suddenly ran forward. He reached us just as Hal's legs finally gave out, and we both crumpled to the ground. Tom hooked his arms under our chests, pushing us back so we were sitting on the pavement with our backs against a car. "What happened?" Tom asked urgently.

"You drove away." Hal said, out of breath and sounding… hurt. "And… the Mech stunned us… and… when we woke up…" Hal explained weakly and out of breath.

"What?" Tom asked, urging him to continue.

"You _left_." Hal accused instead.

"No, no, no." Tom shook his head. "Rick was there, Mike's son. Mike saw him and just grabbed him, and I went back to get Ben and the explosion… it knocked me out, and Dai drove away without you guys. I wouldn't have left." Tom explained, shaking his head. Hal's shoulders shook as he let out a quiet sob.

"I'm just glad you came back." Hal said and hugged Tom tightly. Hal buried his face in Tom's shoulder, breathing rapidly with tears, and I'd never felt more like an intruder in my life.

"I'm just glad you're alive." Tom murmured and Hal let out a soft cry.

"Dad… They killed those kids." Hal said, his voice breaking, and more tears slid down my face. I stared up at the sky and the stars, focusing my exhausted mind on them. I counted them, struggling to stay conscious.

"Wait a minute, what kids?" Tom asked urgently, breaking the hug to look at Hal intently. "Ben?"

"No, no, no." Hal said quickly, shaking his head. "Not Ben… the rest of the group."

"The group Rick was with?" Tom asked quickly.

"Yeah… I don't know why. A Skitter made the Mech kill them… and then let us go." Hal explained and Tom looked at me, a disturbed expression on his face.

"They let you go?" Tom asked Hal, who nodded.

"It was like they wanted us to see it." Hal explained and Tom closed his eyes for a moment before standing up, taking Hal with him and swinging Hal's arm over his shoulders. Tom held his free hand out to me and I weakly raised my hand to take his. Tom paused for a moment when he saw how badly I was trembling, but took my hand and lifted me up. He wrapped his arm around my waist, steadying Hal and I on either of his sides.

"The Nazi's sometimes did that with prisoners of war to send a message. Take one and we kill the rest." Tom explained as he began to lead us down the road. "It's why they left you alive. You're the messengers."

"That means we can't just take Ben…"

"I know. We'll come back, and we'll take them all."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it. <strong>

**Do me a favor, everyone, and point out any mistakes made in grammar, please, and I'll go back and fix any mistakes made xD I often type the wrong word and don't realize it, so it'd really help =)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here you guys go. Chapter 3 :D By the way, it seems I forget to mention something. I kind of... well, I pretty much just removed Karen from this fic altogether so that Aly and Hal could have a relationship.**

**I hope you guys don't mind too much.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own FS, but I do own Alyssa and Cecilia.**

* * *

><p>"How do you feel?" Hal asked as he handed me a bowl of soup.<p>

"Like a bulldozer fell from an airplane and landed on my face, mushing my brain to the back of my skull." I moaned out as I sat up on the cot, leaning my back against the wall. "Thanks." I smiled at him as he passed me a spoon. "How come you're already better and I'm not?" I asked with a scowl and Hal grinned.

"Because I'm a man." He said simply and I flicked my spoon at him, spattering a bit of soup onto his cheek. He wiped it away with his finger and licked it off, grinning. "I hate to say it, but Pope is a good cook."

"Really?" I asked curiously, looking uncertainly at the bowl in my lap.

"Try it for yourself." Hal said with a shrug and I shrugged as well, scooping some up and tasting it experimentally.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, grinning. "It's edible!"

"Better than just edible. It's actually _good_." Hal added with a grin and I laughed, feeling absurdly happy that I had good tasting food. I ate it quickly, finishing it in a matter of minutes.

"Wow… That was really good." I said with a brilliant smile and Hal chuckled softly. "You know, my mother was a chef."

"Really?" Hal asked in surprise and I nodded.

"She absolutely loved cooking. I swear, that woman could take a half-rotten apple and still make it into a delicious pie." I said with a laugh.

"Apple pie, huh? Now there's something I miss." Hal mused, laying down on Cecilia's cot with his back against the wall so our shoulders were touching.

"Yeah… She was making a pumpkin pie when she died. Made it from scratch, you know. Molded the flour into pie crust, cut up and used an actual pumpkin she grew herself."

"So she cooked, baked, and gardened?" Hal asked and I nodded with a smile. "A woman of many talents."

"Indeed." I agreed with a nod. "She was sick, though. She had a brain tumor and wasn't supposed to be doing anything, but she was stubborn. She wanted to live the rest of her life doing what she loved to do, and that happened to be cooking." I explained and he nodded, listening with rapt attention. "She'd just finished preparing the pie and put it in the oven. She laid down on the sofa to watch TV while it baked…" I sighed heavily. "And she never got back up…"

"I'm sorry." Hal said with a frown but I just smiled at him.

"Don't be. She died happy and with a smile on her face… and she died just how she wanted to. So did my dad and brother."

"My mother died shortly after the attack." Hal said and this time it was my turn to listen intently. "She went out to gather supplies and was attacked… they killed her, and then Ben was taken and harnessed, so Dad decided that Matt and I would be safer in the Resistance, so here we are." He said, motioning around us, before meeting my displeased gaze and seeming a little surprised by it.

"You're a terrible story teller." I deadpanned after several moments and he snorted with laughter.

"Has it been just you and Cecilia since the attack?" He asked after several minutes of comfortable silence.

"No." I denied with a shake of my head. "My brother and his girlfriend were with us until recently. The four of us were looking for food when a Skitter came across us. We split into two and ran, him and his girlfriend and then Ci and me. The Skitter followed Ci and me at first, but Alex drew it's attention onto him instead." I explained and Hal nodded.

"Dad's done that a few times, but the Skitter always ends up dead." Hal mused and I laughed lightly.

"I guarantee that Skitter didn't walk away unharmed. Remember how I said martial arts was more my brother's thing?" I asked and he nodded. "Well, by that I meant that he had mastered four different martial arts by the time he'd died." I explained, laughing at Hal's shocked expression.

"Are you serious?" Hal asked and I nodded. "Wow… So you ran track and played soccer, your brother was a martial arts fanatic, and your mother was a chef _and_ gardener… Me and my lacrosse medals are feeling insignificant suddenly." Hal said with a dramatic sigh and I laughed harder.

"Don't worry, Hal. You _are_ insignificant." I teased and he rolled his eyes.

"Again with the attacks on my ego!" He cried out and I grinned unashamedly at him. He moved to say something, but paused, his eyes drifting to my chest. "What's that?"

"That's a boob." I replied instantly and Hal gave me a dirty look.

"Not that, you dirty minded woman. I mean this." He said, reaching forward and scooping up the necklace that sat on my shirt between my breasts and peering at it curiously.

"Oh, that." I followed the light brown braided rope to the silver pendant in Hal's palm. "It was my mothers. It's called a Trikoru. The circle is supposed to be the circle of life, whereas the three claws inside of it represent the unending cycle of new beginnings and unlimited potential. The whole pendant, though, symbolizes new life, peace, and serenity."

"Peace, hm?" Hal murmured a little bitterly, lowering the pendant back to my shirt.

"I have another one, here." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a similar pendant and an identical braided light brown rope. This pendant was black instead of silver, and had two claws instead of three. "This was my fathers. The circle still represents the circle of life, but the two claws represent a strong bond of a relationship." I explained and he nodded with a light frown as I slipped it back into my pocket.

"What about you? Do you have anything of your mother's?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"No. All we could get of hers was her engagement and wedding rings, and I told Dad to keep them both." Hal explained and I stared at him intently. "What?" Hal asked self consciously after a moment.

"Nothing." I said swiftly, sitting up straighter. _Nothing, other than the fact that you remind me way too much of Alex sometimes._I thought as I swung my legs over the side of the cot. "I'm done with this lying around thing. Come on." I stood up, moving to the foot of the cots and grabbing Hal's hand, dragging him forward.

"Hey! Let me- Arg!" Hal groaned out as he tumbled off the foot of the bed. I burst into laughter and he glared up at me. "I'm getting back at you for that." He growled and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Only if you can catch me." I taunted and he narrowed his eyes, standing up and taking a step forward. I squealed and bolted out the door, startling several people in the halls as I raced down said halls.

"Get back here!" Hal chased after me, laughter erupting from our chests.

* * *

><p>"Ow… You broke me." I accused as I held a bag of frozen peas to my shoulder.<p>

"That's what you get." Hal retorted simply and I mock glared at him.

"Your shoulder will be fine now that I've popped it back into place." Anne said after a moment's examination.

"Does that mean I can go back to my duties as a Scout?" I asked her eagerly and she shook her head.

"Not for a few more days." She shot me down and I sighed, then glared accusingly at Hal.

"This is your fault." I growled and he held his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, I'm innocent in this. You're the one who ran into a wall." He defended himself and my eyes widened.

"_Ran into a wall!_"I screeched, but my eyes were dancing with amusement, as were his. "You _knocked me_ into a wall! How dare you slander me like that!" I cried out and Hal slowly started to back towards the doorway. "Get back here, coward!" I shouted after him as he ran out of the room, then turned to a highly amused Anne and smiled at her. "Excuse me." I said, handing the frozen peas back to her.

"Go get him." She said and I grinned, jumping from the table.

"Oh, I'll kick his ass." I assured her before racing out of the room after him.

"Just not bad enough for him to come to me!" Anne called after me, her laughter following.

"At it again?" Someone asked as I raced by in the halls, simply waving over my shoulder in response. I dashed out of the school and paused once outside, looking around curiously but not seeing Hal anywhere. I huffed in annoyance and walked over to the grass, pausing when I noticed a familiar face and a very welcome sight with it. Matt was sitting in the grass and looking up at the sky, a soccer ball in his lap, and Cecilia lying on the grass beside him.

I jogged up to them, pausing right in front of Matt and crouching there, looking up at the sky, curious as to what they were looking at. I didn't see anything, so I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "What are you looking at?" I asked and Matt jumped in surprise, as though he hadn't known I was there.

"W-what? Oh! Nothing, I was just wondering why there weren't any clouds in the sky." Matt said with a shrug and I looked back down at him.

"Oh… What's with the soccer ball?" I asked him curiously.

"Er… Well, we wanted Hal and you to play with us, but he's not around." Cecilia explained as she sat up and I nodded, grinning.

"Yeah, he's hiding right now." I said and they looked at me curiously, but I just winked at them mischievously. "I'll play soccer with you. I could probably teach you a thing or two, Matt." I offered and Matt shrugged.

"Sure, I guess. Nothing better to do." He said and I grabbed the soccer ball from his lap and stood before he could stop me.

"Okay… That car there is my goal, and…" I motioned to the car rolled on its side and looked behind the two kids. "That cardboard box is yours."

"Uh… That car won't tip if we hit it, right?" Cecilia asked unsurely as he stood and took several paces back. I looked over my shoulder at the car curiously for a moment before turning to her and shrugging.

"Guess we'll find out." I said before setting the soccer ball down on the grass. "First to five goals wins!"

* * *

><p>"What are they doing?" Tom asked as he stood beside Hal on the rooftop, looking down at his son, Cecilia, and Alyssa kicking the soccer ball, both of the kids with determined expressions.<p>

"Playing one on two soccer." Hal replied with a shrug.

"She shouldn't be doing anything. She just took a nasty blow to the head and is still recovering." Tom said with a frown.

"Well, she is, and they've been at it for an hour or so." Hal pointed out and Tom's frown deepened. "They're tied at four goals each, and the first to five is the winner apparently. She's going easy on them."

"Why's that?" Tom asked curiously.

"Apparently she's teaching them to play." Hal explained with a shrug. Tom fell silent for a few moments, watching the three play soccer.

"Hal… What do you think of her?" Tom asked carefully and Hal looked at him with a surprised expression.

"I… think that she's been through a lot and is handling it better than anyone else I've talked to." Hal said slowly.

"She seems very happy for someone living in this war." Tom mused and Hal eyed him.

"You don't trust her."

"No, it's not that." Tom denied quickly. "It's just… I don't know. She's different, and I can't tell yet if it's good or bad."

"No, she's not." Hal shook his head. "She's really not that different at all. She's been through things we've gone through, she's lost people in the war like we have, and she's feeling the same way we do about it all. The only thing different with her is that she doesn't let that stop her from being happy." Hal explained and Tom raised an eyebrow at him.

"You seem pretty sure about all that, Hal… She must be something to have so much of your interest in her." Tom mused and Hal scowled at him.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, dad… It's not like that."

"Really? Then what is it like?" Tom asked with a small grin as he messed with his son, who scowled in response. Hal turned back to the game, his expression softening slightly as he did.

"She's a lot like mom." Hal murmured and Tom tensed for a moment before he relaxed, his own expression softening.

"I see." He said, turning on his heel and walking towards the staircase. Hal watched him until he was out of sight and let out a sigh, turning back just in time to see Alyssa cheer as the soccer ball hit a cardboard box.

"Maybe it _is_ a bit like that…"

* * *

><p><strong>Tada! Chapter 3 for all you pleaders xD Reviews make me feel loved!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Here you guys go! xD Chapter 4 for you all =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FS, unfortunately. I wish I did, because then I would be able to meet all the stars.**

* * *

><p>Pace. Look out window. Sigh. Pace. Repeat.<p>

Cecilia let out a soft whine in her sleep and I instantly stopped, kneeling beside her and putting my hand to her forehead. I grimaced at the heat of it and gently ran my fingers through her hair. She let out a whimper before settling down again, and I sighed heavily, hanging my head. I stayed like that a few moments before I opened my eyes and grabbed a soaking washcloth from a bowl of cool water on the floor beside the cot. I wrung the excess water out and set the washcloth on Cecilia's forehead, then stood again and returned to pacing.

I looked out the window searchingly, but all I could see was pitch black from the night. I resisted the urge loudly groan my frustration and settle for another sigh, then pacing some more. Suddenly I saw something out the window and quickly looked out it to find the group returning, doubled in size. My eyes widened and I looked at Cecilia, confirmed she was still asleep, and then rushed out of the room.

I ran into the infirmary to find everyone but Anne was asleep. "Anne, they're back, and it looks like they brought the whole group." I told her quickly and she immediately jumped to alertness.

"Up! Everyone up!" She shouted, jerking everyone out of their sleep, and then turned back to me. "You should leave, Alyssa. No offense, but you'd just be in the way." Anne said and I nodded in understanding.

"Alright… but first, do you have any children's Tylenol? Cecilia is running a fever." I told her and she shook her head.

"I don't, unfortunately. Supplies are at an all time high, but we still barely have anything." Anne said apologetically. Suddenly, the door burst open and Tom and the rest of the group flooded in with children in their arms, sans Hal who stayed in the doorway. "Come back after this is over, Alyssa, and I'll see what I can do." Anne shouted as she rushed around, the room suddenly chaotic. I backed out of the room and closed the door behind me, turning around to see Hal sitting in the hall, his back against the lockers.

I sighed heavily, Cecilia's sickness making me anxious. "I'm glad to see you made it out alive." I greeted Hal, who nodded but said nothing. I sat down beside him and only then noticed his hand. "Jesus! What the hell did you do?" I asked in alarm, grabbing his arm by the elbow and jerking it up so I could examine it closely.

"Ouch! What's with you and man handling people?" Hal protested and I rolled my eyes. "It's not my blood. I stabbed a Skitter and killed it." He explained and I looked at him, exasperation written all over my features.

"Didn't you ever see Aliens?" I asked him and he raised an eyebrow, shaking his head.

"Sci-fi was never my thing. I liked to live in reality." He said and I glared at him.

"Welcome to reality, where aliens are invading the world." I said and he grinned sheepishly. "Good lord… Never seen Aliens… Blasphemy." I grumbled as I reached behind me into the cracked locker just to my side, opening it enough to reach in and pull out a bottle of water.

"What's the significance of Aliens anyways?" Hal asked curiously and I sighed at him.

"In Aliens, there are these aliens-"

"Really? Aliens in Aliens? Who would have guessed!" Hal gasped dramatically and I gave him a dirty look.

"Shut up." I chided. "Anyways, there are these aliens who bleed acid, so if one of the characters in those movies pulled what you just did, only with _their_ aliens… They wouldn't have an arm left." I explained and he rolled his eyes.

"Well, I obviously still have my arm, seeing as you've got it in a death grip, so what's the problem?" He asked and I sighed at him.

"Don't act all tough. I can tell it hurts."

"It _doesn't_ hurt." He corrected me, then crying out when I jabbed his hand with my finger.

"Hah! See?" I asked proudly and he glared at me.

"Damn it, woman! Stop abusing me!" He protested and I laughed softly, lifting the water bottle to my mouth and using my teeth to open it, since my other hand was still holding his arm in place. I spat the cap out of my mouth and stood, holding his arm away from me and at his side. I carefully tilted the bottle so only a little water poured out at a time, rinsing the blood away and onto the floor, as well as wasting as little water as possible.

After a few moments, I turned his arm over and got the little bit of blood left, then set the bottle on the floor. "There. Is that better?" I asked seriously and he nodded.

"Much… It's still got minor pins and needles, though." He said and I scrunched my nose up in disgust.

"Well, don't ask me to kiss it and make it better." I said and he laughed.

"_Never_." He said teasingly and I snickered, moving to sit down at his side again, this time on his other side. Hal sighed softly and I could see the worry written all over his face. After a moment of thought, I hesitantly leaned over so our shoulders were touching, and when he didn't instantly resist, I rested my head on his shoulder. He surprised me by wrapping his perfect-condition arm around my shoulder and leaning his head against mine. Somehow, I knew that the silently reassuring actions helped him more than simply saying 'he'll be fine' would have.

As we sat there in silence, I realized that his actions reassured me, too.

It was over an hour later when I pulled away. "I have to go check on Cecilia." I explained at his questioning expression. "I'll be back soon, alright?"

"Take your time." Hal said and I smiled at him softly before turning and heading back to the room we were staying in. When I entered, the first thing I noticed was that Cecilia was coughing quietly in her sleep. Alarmed, I moved to her bedside quickly, pulling the washrag off her forehead.

"Cecilia?" I murmured with a gentle shake of her shoulders, the eight year old blearily opening her dark green eyes. "Hey… Are you okay, sweetie?" I whispered and she looked at me oddly.

"My chest hurts…" She mumbled tiredly.

"It's okay, honey… I'll take care of you, Ci." I assured her quietly and her eyes drifted shut, her breathing steadying. I pressed the back of my hand to her forehead and sighed softly, pulling the washrag back out of the basin and putting it back on her forehead. "I'll keep you safe." I whispered softly, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed. I stayed there for at least another hour, just watching the rise and fall of her chest.

That was where Tom found me. He walked into the room and immediately noticed me, frowning slightly. "Hal was wondering where you went." He said and I snapped my eyes to him, shaken from my thoughts.

"Oh!" I exclaimed quietly. "How's Ben?"

"He's okay." Tom smiled, relief evident on his face. "We got the harness off of all the kids, and all of them are okay… we lost one of them, though." He said and I nodded, frowning sadly for a few seconds before I straightened up again.

"Um… I hate to ask you this, but…" I looked at Cecilia worriedly. "Cecilia is sick…" I murmured.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked, moving over to the bed and looking at the eight year old.

"She's running a fever, coughing, and her chest is hurting her." I told him, running my hand over Cecilia's damp hair.

"It sounds like it's just a cold, but I'm not a doctor… I'll ask Anne to come by when I bring Matt back there, and let Hal know that you're busy." Tom assured me and I smiled weakly at him.

"Thanks…" I said gratefully and Tom eyed me.

"When was the last time you slept?" He asked and I shook my head.

"Not since yesterday…" I admitted and he sighed.

"You need to get some sleep or else you'll get sick, too." Tom said but I stubbornly shook my head.

"I'll sleep eventually, but not until I know how sick she is." I said and he sighed.

"Alright… I'll send Anne in." He repeated and I repeated my response to that. "Come on, Matt." I heard him say, but I was too intent on Cecilia to pay him any attention after that. Only a few minutes had passed before I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Anne looking at me expectantly.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, guessing she'd said or asked something I hadn't heard.

"I asked what her symptoms are." Anne repeated gently and I swallowed thickly.

"Right… Sorry. She's coughing and running a fever, and she said her chest hurt…" I explained as Anne pulled the wet rag off of Cecilia's forehead. I watched as she put her stethoscope in her ears, putting it to Cecilia's chest with one hand, the other checking her temperature. After a few minutes, she straightened up and frowned, draping her stethoscope around her shoulders.

"It's not too serious, but whatever she has is probably contagious. We ought to put her in the infirmary. It's not serious now, but it'll be serious if it spreads to others." Anne explained and I nodded.

"Whatever you want to do." I said and she smiled softly at me.

"Don't worry. At the moment, there's nothing to worry over, and I'll let you know the moment there is." Anne assured me and I nodded.

"Thank you… No, I'll do that." I said quickly when I saw Anne moving to pick Cecilia up. She nodded in understanding and stepped back so that I could stand. I lifted the sleeping girl into my arms, her head resting against my chest. I followed Anne out of the room and into the infirmary, where I saw Ben and several others lying face down on beds. Hal was sitting on the edge of Ben's bed, wiping his back clean with a wash rag.

He, Matt, and Tom looked up when we walked into the room, but I just followed Anne to the designated bed and laid Cecilia in it. Anne grabbed two extra pillows and put the two under Cecilia's back, propping her up, and her original pillow under Cecilia's head. "Keep a wet washcloth on her forehead, alright?" Anne instructed, passing me the basin and wash cloth I'd had in the other room.

"Alright…" I agreed, wringing the cloth and placing it on Cecilia's forehead again.

"Her breathing is slightly wheezy, but that's alright. Keeping her propped up will help her breath easier… How long has she been sick?" Anne asked and I frowned.

"I'm not sure… She's been more tired this last week, but that's it." I said and Anne nodded thoughtfully.

"Is it possible she's been running a fever for more than just tonight?"

"I suppose so, yes. I haven't been spending as much time around her, and you know how kids are. They either complain about everything, or don't think twice about anything." I sighed while Anne laughed softly.

"Alright…" Anne reached down and felt Cecilia's throat with a small frown. "I have an idea as to what she has, and it's nothing bad, but I won't know for sure for some time. From my experience as a pediatrician, though, it sounds like Cecilia has a case of pneumonia. If you're accurate about the tiredness, and if her fever also developed over the week like I'm hoping, then it's likely just walking pneumonia."

"Now, you should get some rest." Anne said and I snorted in amusement.

"So I've been told." I said, my lip twitching with the urge to smile. I glanced behind me at Hal, still wide awake and looking like he planned on staying that way, and I shook my head. "I can sleep when I'm dead." I said with a light grin. "Hey, Hal?" I called, but not too loudly, and he looked up at me questioningly. "Any idea where there's a pharmacy nearby?" I asked and he immediately looked confused.

"Pharmacy? What do you need from a pharmacy?"

"Just some preventative measures." I explained vaguely.

"All the nearby pharmacies have either been picked clean or have Skitters and Mechs at them." Tom informed me and I sighed.

"Damn." I cursed before I paused, an idea suddenly hitting me. "Wait… what if…" I said slowly, planning as I spoke. "we went to a pharmacy from a small town?" I asked carefully. "A small town far enough away from the cities that there are no mother ships, and small enough in population that there probably aren't any Skitters or Mechs nearby?" I asked but Tom shook his head.

"Then the pharmacies and grocery stores would have also been picked clean, because no one in the towns would have died." Tom pointed out and I nodded.

"Right… I should have thought of that… Okay, so a small town near enough to the cities that they were wiped out. If there's no activity around, the Skitters and Mechs would have just left, right? No point in hanging around where there aren't any children to snatch, right?" I asked, my excitement growing.

"She has a point." All of us looked at the doorway, surprised by Weaver's sudden appearance. "I came up with a similar idea while all the Masses were still together."

"Why haven't I heard of this?" Tom asked, looking surprised.

"Because it was a failure." Weaver explained with his customary frown and unhappy voice. "There were still Skitters behind…"

"So we go further out, town by town until we find where the Skitters and Mechs end, we record how far we had to go, and find other towns in that same distance." I said and Weaver eyed me carefully.

"You might be on to something…" Weaver mused, falling silent for several minutes before nodding. "Once the opportunity presents itself, I want you two," He motioned to Hal and me, "to go out and find where the nearest town is without Skitters and Mechs, but still with supplies."

"Yes sir." Hal and I both said politely and Weaver nodded before turning and leaving abruptly. I grinned widely, feeling entirely proud of myself for that one, but my grin and happiness faded when Cecilia let out a soft moan of discomfort in her sleep. I turned around and instantly sat on the side of the bed, my back to everyone and facing Cecilia. I grabbed the wash rag from her forehead and resoaked it, then put it back in place and continued my vigil by her side.

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have it =) Review, please. They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside... and inspired xD<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright! Chapter 5 for you awesome reviewing fans! xD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FS *depressed sigh***

* * *

><p>"Eaglesville?" Weaver questioned and I nodded, pointing at the spot on the map. "It's not on here."<p>

"Because it's a tiny town. If you get a super zoomed in map, you'll find it, but… like I said, it's tiny, but it's just far enough away from Chicopee that I think it'll be completely abandoned." I said and he frowned deeply, eyeing the map before looking at me intently.

"And you know how to get there?"

"Yes. I just have to follow 2 for about thirty miles, and I'm twenty minutes away." I confirmed with a nod. "I know the way by heart because my grandparents had a home there before they passed. I'd go there every weekend." I explained and he watched me with a critical eye.

"And you're confident that this is the spot?"

"Confident enough to risk it, yes." I nodded again. "The pharmacy is in an area about six miles from the residential area. The whole area with the pharmacy in it is small, and I can just go from one end of it to the other in five minutes on foot. If I see _anything_ nearby, I won't bother, but if I don't see anything, I will scour every inch of that town and get everything of use."

"If you want it to be worthwhile, you'll need more than just a dirt bike." Weaver noted and I nodded a third time.

"Yes, but if you let me take the pick up so I can bring back more supplies, I'll park it a half-mile away from the town and go the rest of the way on foot. Once I know there's no Skitters or Mechs, I'll take the truck in and get supplies, but only when I'm certain." I said confidently. "Or, I can just take the dirt bike, scout, then return and have a group of fighters take the truck there and gather. Your call, sir." I said and he was silent for several minutes, clearly thinking every factor through carefully.

"If… you lose the truck…" He said very slowly, his tone deadly serious.

"Trust me sir, if I lose the truck, I'll be too terrified to return." I assured him and he allowed a small smirk.

"Very well, Miss Snow… but bring back as much gasoline as you can while you're there."

"Yes sir!" I gave him a quick salute and he nodded at me. I turned and hurried out of the room, eager to find Hal and give him the good news.

"Help!" Anne's muffled voice startled me, making me look around in alarm. No one else was in the halls, and I saw the doors to the infirmary were closed. _Cecilia!_ I thought fearfully, moving to approach the door when it suddenly swung open, smacking me in the face and making me stumble backwards.

"Son of a-" I cried out, grabbing my nose as I saw three people run out of the infirmary. A boy, his mother, and his father, who was carrying a bag. I ignored them, looking in the infirmary to see Anne on the ground, bleeding from her lip. "What happened?" I asked urgently, my voice nasally because I was holding my throbbing nose.

"They took medicine!" Anne said, and before she could say anything else, I whipped around and dashed after them.

"Get back here, you fuckers!" I screamed down the hall, seeing their backs as they left the school. Snarling in anger, I lowered my hand from my nose and got in the proper running form, dashing after them as fast as I could. I shot out of the school like a bat out of hell, damn near colliding with Tom and Mike.

"Alyssa?" Tom shouted after me as I bolted past him.

"They stole medical supplies!" I shouted without slowing down, hearing Tom and Mike's curses as they followed, though not as quickly.

"Snow! You do your mission, we'll handle this." Weaver barked and I slowed, looking over my shoulder to see him catching up to Tom and Mike, who ran past me only a few seconds later.

"Are you sure, sir?" I asked uncertainly, now slowed to a stop, and Weaver nodded as he ran past me. I watched him run with wide eyes, stunned by the old man's speed. "…Must be the Cheerios…" I mumbled to myself before turning and slowly walking back toward the school, my breaths coming in pants. I winced as the heavy breathing hurt my aching nose, reaching up to hold it again as I felt blood slipping down my face.

I reached the doors just in time for Hal to come running out them with an alarmed expression. "What's going on- Whoa!" His eyes widened as he noticed my face and I glared heatedly at him, silently daring him to say anything. "Um… I, uh… I like what you've done with your hair?" He offered innocently and I lightly punched his bicep, but hard enough that he winced and moved away.

"Shut up." I growled at him and he frowned at the genuine anger in my voice as I shoved past him and into the school. He looked around before following after me, silently walking alongside me as I walked to the infirmary, where I found Anne feeling a tired Cecilia's forehead. She looked up as we entered, eyes instantly widening at the blood on my face.

"What happened?" She asked, hurrying to my side and ushering me into a seat. I glowered angrily at the wall as she moved around me.

"Lyssi?" Cecilia questioned and I scowled deeper.

"Did they hurt you, Cecilia?" I asked her and her eyes widened, immediately shaking her head.

"You're bleeding." Cecilia whimpered as Anne reappeared in front of me with a water basin and wash cloth.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Cecilia. Just go back to sleep, alright?" I let out a hiss as Anne pulled my hand from my nose, Hal immediately putting himself between Cecilia and I. I heard him trying to convince her to go to sleep and not to worry as Anne carefully felt my nose. "Ouch!" I yelped when she pressed on a particularly sore spot, and she gently ran her finger around the bone there.

"Okay… It's not broken, but you'll probably have some bruising and will be sore for a while."

"It doesn't matter." I said with a heavy sigh, feeling the anger drain out of me. I lowered my head and rubbed my forehead in a fruitless attempt to ease some of the tension.

"Alyssa?" Anne murmured questioningly and I raised my head.

"Tragedy brings out the worse in humanity." I said as she put a hand under my chin, holding my head in place as she dabbed the blood away with the wet wash rag.

"Yes, but tragedy also brings out the best in some…" Anne mused. "Just look at Hal." She said, her words quiet and only for me. "He's lost so much, but he holds strong for his family. So do you with Cecilia." She murmured and I looked at her questioningly. "You protect her like she's your own child."

"She practically is." I said, wincing when she dabbed the corners of my nose.

"Not to mention you and Hal both bring happiness to this regiment. You both, along with a few others, go out of your way to help younger children, play with them, and not to mention when you two argue it's amusing to everyone around to hear it."

"Gee, thanks." I said sarcastically and she smiled.

"You're welcome." She replied, pulling the cloth away. "Done… Looks like the bleeding has already stopped, too." I jumped down from the stool and looked at Hal apologetically.

"Sorry for snapping at you."

"Whatever." Hal said with a careless shrug, smirking to show I was forgiven. "Nice nose job. Done by a professional?" He mocked and I smacked him on the arm.

"Shut up, jerk."

"Quit slapping my arm, woman." He shot back and I narrowed my eyes, punching his arm instead. "Ow!"

"There. No more slapping." I said with a smile as he rubbed his arm. "I've come up with a plan with Weaver, and he's given us permission to leave asap, so could you go make sure the truck and a dirt bike are gassed up?" I asked and he looked surprised.

"The truck?" He questioned and I nodded with a grin. He grinned brilliantly in return and nodded. "As you wish." He said with a dramatic bow, drawing an amused scoff from me, and then left the room.

"See? You two are amusing." Anne said with a grin and I rolled my eyes at her in mock annoyance, moving to Cecilia's side.

"Hey… I'll be back soon, alright, Ci?" I murmured to her affectionately, her eyes brightening at the nickname.

"Alright, Lyssi." She said, smiling tiredly but more alertly than before.

"Alright. See you soon, Ci." I said, standing up and kissing her on the forehead before hurrying out of the room, waving over my shoulder as I went.

* * *

><p>"You know what we need?" I asked, 45 minutes into the drive, with a bored tone.<p>

"A clown?" Hal asked from beside me and I looked at him in shock.

"A _clown?_" I demanded and he shrugged.

"I'm sure that running it over a few times to see if it bled rainbows would be pretty amusing." Hal said innocently and I laughed loudly.

"Alright, you're messed up." I said and he grinned.

"Then what do _you_ think we did, Miss Snow?" He asked with dramatized sarcasm and I rolled my eyes like it was obvious.

"Music!" I declared and he frowned thoughtfully.

"Yeah, music would make this way more entertaining." He admitted and I grinned.

"See? You finally admit that I have good ideas." I said teasingly and he snorted in amusement.

"This one time, I concede defeat." He said with a bow that looked really awkward and stupid since he was sitting in a vehicle when he did it. With a grin, I started hitting my hands to the steering wheel in a pattern. He raised an eyebrow at me and I grinned wider.

"If you don't know this song, I'll have to throw you out of this truck." I warned him before I burst into song.

"I had visions I was in them

I was looking into the mirror

To see a little bit clearer

The rottenness and evil in me!

Fingertips have memories

Mine can't forget the curves of your body,

And when I feel a bit naughty," I waggled my eyebrows at him stupidly, making him chuckle.

"I run it up the flagpole to see who salutes,"

"But no one ever does." Hal sang and I nodded happily.

"I'm not sick, but I'm not well

And I'm so hot, 'cause I'm in heeeellll!" I sang, once more by myself.

"Been around the world and found

That only stupid people are breeding,

The cretins cloning and feeding,

And I don't even own a TV

Put me in the hospital for nerves

And then they had to commit me

You told them all I was crazy

They cut off my legs,

Now I'm an amputee

God damn you." I sang and Hal was outright laughing at this point.

"I'm not sick, but I'm not well

And I'm so hoooottt, 'cause I'm in heeelll!

I'm not sick, but I'm not well

And it's a sin, to live so well…" I sang, my voice slowing a bit now.

"I wanna publish 'zines,

And rage against machines  
>I wanna pierce my tongue,<p>

It doesn't hurt, it feels fine,

The trivial sublime,

I'd like to turn off time

And kill my mind…

You kill my miiiinnndd…" I sang out the last word before grinning widely at Hal. "This part's my favorite."

"Paranoia, Paranoia

Everybody's coming to get me!" I sang loudly, Hal joining in.

"Just say you never met me

I'm running underground with the moles,

Diggin' holes.

Hear the voices in my head

I swear to god it sounds like they're snoring!

But if you're bored then you're boring,

The agony and the irony,

They're killing me! Whoa!

I'm not sick, but I'm not well," I sang the chorus one last time before I fell silent, grinning madly.

"You're not half bad at singing, you know." Hal said after a moment and I laughed lightly.

"Someone had to even out your terrible frog croaks." I teased and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yes. I was just _horrendous_." He said sarcastically and I laughed softly before making a quick turn. "Whoa!" He cried out as he was jerked to the side.

"Sorry." I said, a little too pleased with having scared him.

"How the hell did you get your license?" Hal demanded and I grinned widely.

"Who the hell told you I had a license?"

* * *

><p><strong>I do love that song xD Flagpole Sitta!<strong>

**Reviews, please 3**


	6. Chapter 6

**By popular demand, I have completed another chapter to share with you all, my brilliant fans xD Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Falling Skies, and every time I write this disclaimer admitting this, I feel a part of my heart shatter from disappointment and misery... How's that for dramatic?**

* * *

><p>"You take the bike. You need the practice." Hal had said, but I could have sworn I heard him mumble something along the lines of the supplies not surviving my driving. After three hours of scavenging the town, which I had been thrilled to find abandoned completely, Hal and I drove another hour back to the base. He drove the truck while I rode the dirt bike, allowing the passenger seat to also be used as storage.<p>

After five hours in total away from the base, we both arrived in relatively good health and mind. Everyone was overjoyed by the amounts of supplies we returned with, officially breaking the record in amount gathered at one time. Hal and I helped Anne put away all the medicine we brought her, and she hugged us both in rib-crushing hugs. "What about pets?" I asked Hal as I sat in front of a cabinet, glancing to my side at him incredulously. He was unpacking a box into the cabinet one cabinet over from mine.

"Two dogs." He said. "Both shelties. One was black, white, and tan, while the other was tan and white. The tan and white one was named Shelly, because ever since she was a puppy, she was fascinated by shells." He explained, sounding utterly lost as to why, and I laughed softly. "The black, white, and tan one we named Chip."

"Chip?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah, you know, after the stuffed cat. The black, white, and brown stuffed cat toy from TY?" Hal explained like I was an idiot.

"Oooh! I remember that one! My cat Monte cuddled with it after his brother died, since they kind of looked alike." I said and he frowned lightly.

"Monte?"

"Yes. Monte, as in Monte Carlo, the car." I said and he raised an eyebrow at me. "Okay, a month before Monte was born, my mom bought this white Monte Carlo with a sunroof that left this black square on the top of the car, right?"

"Right." Hal nodded like he actually had a clue.

"Anyways, so my brother's cat gave birth to these four kittens. Two girls, two boys. One girl and boy were tabbies, and the other two were pure white." I explained. "But the female had a splotch of brown on the top of her head, and the male had a splotch of black! Mom decided that with his solid white and black spot on his head, he looked like a cat version of her car, so we named him Monte." I concluded and he nodded again.

"Way more interesting than my stories." He said with a sigh.

"I keep telling you that you're a crappy story teller." I said, rolling my eyes. "Monte's litter came from my brother's cat, but his cat had a sister, who was my cat. She was a little black and white tuxedo cat who was identical to the stuffed TY cat named Zip, so guess what we named her?"

"Zippo?" Hal guessed with a teasing grin and I laughed, not going on since I knew he knew the real answer.

"Oh! I remember Zip!" Cecilia piped up from her hospital bed on the opposite side of the cabinets, nearly completely recovered. "Wasn't she the one who would follow that man in a wheelchair all over the neighborhood?"

"Yup!" I confirmed with a smile, explaining when Hal raised his eyebrows in silent question. "There was this man who started coming by about four years before Zip died. His wife would push him up and down the street, and for some reason, Zip was attached to him. Followed him all over the place whenever he came down the street. Crazy little furball." I smiled fondly at the memory.

"What happened to them?" Hal asked curiously.

"Zip was diagnosed with lymphoma a month after Monte and his litter was born. She was given four months to live, but she lived for three more years. The man died from some form of muscular dystrophy, and Zip died a few days later." I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "My mom was utterly convinced it was destined by fate. She believed that Zip survived for so long so that she could be with the man until he passed and make him happier, which she did, and then he died and so did she." **(A/N: True story! All of this really happened, though she actually lived for four years. What a weird little cat she was, too. Gorgeous, but she had this habit of leaping onto your back and laying on your shoulders every chance she got xD)**

"An interesting theory." Anne noted thoughtfully.

"A _theory _none-the-less." I said firmly and Hal raised an eyebrow at me.

"Remember how we're being invaded be aliens?" He questioned dryly and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Alien invaders or not, my furry little oddity of a cat did not die just because the man did." I said sternly but Hal just grinned at me before frowning. "What?" I asked, looking behind me and seeing nothing, so looking back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing, I just realized I have no idea how old you are." He explained and Anne stood up from where she was putting things away in the cabinets opposite to ours, and glared down at Hal.

"Never as a woman her age, Hal." She chided before sitting down and thus disappearing again. I burst into laughter at Hal's startled expression.

"I turned seventeen this year in April." I explained with a smile and he blinked in surprise.

"Oh… What day in April?" He asked curiously.

"The seventeenth."

"Really? My birthday is the eighteenth of March." He said with a grin that I returned until Anne spoke up and ruined the mood.

"You two are _meant_ to be together." She said with mock dreaminess, snickering to herself as both Hal and I looked away from one another, returning to our work.

* * *

><p>I was sitting on the hospital bed with Cecilia in my lap, a book in her lap that I was helping her read. "Ex… Examplury…?" She asked hesitantly, stumbling over another word.<p>

"Exemplary." I corrected her. "Good guess, though."

"What about this word?" She asked, pointing to another word. I noticed Hal walking by the door with a worried expression on his face and frowned deeply.

"Evanescence… Hey, I'll be right back, Ci. Anne, could you take over for me?" I asked the woman as I carefully freed myself and stood up.

"Sure." Anne said with a smile, walking over to Cecilia as I walked out of the room. I saw Hal rounding the corner to the cafeteria and quickly jogged over to catch up with him just as he got in line for lunch.

"Hey." I greeted him and he grunted in reply, not even looking up from the bowl of food he was just passed. He turned and headed for a table and I took the offered bowl from the woman serving the meals, smiling gratefully at her. I hurried after Hal, sitting down across the table from him once he sat at an empty one. I didn't say anything, knowing that asking questions would just frustrate him. I instead ate with him in silence, knowing that he would talk to me if he wanted to.

Sure enough, several minutes into our meal, he voiced his thoughts. "Something's wrong with Ben." He said and I snapped my eyes to him to find he was looking at me with a troubled expression. "I'm not sure what, yet, but I'm worried that he's… he's not the same, or something." Hal confessed with a heavy sigh. "I don't know. I can't really explain it." He said, shaking his head hopelessly.

"Do you want me to keep an eye on him?" I asked him softly and Hal nodded, running a hand through his already-messy hair.

"Yeah." He replied quietly, as though he hated to speak the words.

"Got it…" I said, my words nearly drowned out as several people suddenly flooded into the cafeteria. Weaver made a hand motion towards Hal and I and I huffed, standing up. "Come on, lazybones. Time for our patrol." I said, the word 'patrol' distorted and muffled by a yawn escaping me.

"You sure you don't want to just sleep instead?" Hal asked, amusement flickering in his eyes, and I grinned in response.

"Define 'want'." I retorted sarcastically. "I think I _want_ sleep more than I want air right now, but I need air, and the 2nd Mass needs us patrolling, so onward!" I exclaimed the last word and Hal laughed as we left the cafeteria through the back entrance, quickly mounting the bikes and riding away.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing?" I asked Hal incredulously as I saw him packing his backpack.<p>

"I'm going with Ben and Matt." He said and I frowned deeply.

"You are?" I asked him, unable to keep the worry from my voice. He looked over his shoulder at me, looking a little surprised by my worry.

"Yeah. Someone has to keep them in line." He said with a light smile.

"Right…" I said distantly.

"Hey… You okay?" Hal asked, setting his bag down and stepping over to me and looking at me searchingly.

"What? Oh, yeah." I said distractedly, turning my attention back to him. "I'm just a little nervous. I didn't realize you weren't staying, and that means it'll just be Margaret, Dai, and me for scouts." I explained, but Hal's eyes continued to scan my expression intently.

"What's really wrong?" He asked and I sighed quietly.

"Well, what I said is actually bothering me, but… I've just got an… eerie feeling." I said uncertainly.

"Yeah. I do too." Hal admitted with a frown. "That's one of the reasons I'm going with them."

"I wish I could go too, but I know that one of us has to stay here…" I said with a worried frown.

"Hey…" Hal put his hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes intently. "Don't worry, Alyssa. I'll make sure that Cecilia is alright, no matter what, just like I'll do with Matt and Ben." He said reassuringly and I sighed heavily.

"I'm just…" I scolded myself for the way that my voice shook. "I've lost too much to lose her now." I choked out, tears filling my eyes. I looked down at the ground, ashamed of my momentary weakness, but Hal didn't seem to mind. Instead of disliking it, he slid his arms around me and hugged me against him. That simple action, that simple display of affection, nearly made me go from fighting back tears to bawling quietly against his chest.

I held it together, though, simply sighing and leaning into him for silent comfort. I don't know how long he just stood there and held me silently, but I did know it was less than a half hour later that I recomposed myself. I stepped from his grasp and smiled tiredly at Hal. "Thanks for that." I said gratefully.

"It's the least I could do." He said with a small smile. "Now go away, you've already delayed my packing long enough." He commanded with a dramatic sigh.

"You're lucky I need to help Cecilia pack, or else I'd take the time to hit you for that." I said with a huff and he chuckled softly. I walked by him to leave, but as I walked by, I elbowed him in the arm, making him grunt in pain. "Oh, wow. That took almost no time at all." I said in mock amazement, flashing a grin over my shoulder to a pained but amused Hal before I left the room and made my way to the infirmary.

When I walked through the door, I was instantly slammed into by a blonde haired blur, who clung tightly to my legs, tripping me. "Ci!" I cried out as I fell to the ground, managing to catch myself just enough that the landing only stung, but the little girl was still hugging my legs together tightly.

"I won't go, I won't go!" Cecilia cried and I looked at an apologetic Anne with a frown before turning back to Cecilia.

"Ci! Stop this, right now!" I snapped at her and Cecilia flinched like I'd hit her, her eyes welling up with tears. "Just because we're separating for a little while, it doesn't mean that I won't see you again." I said gentler but she shook her head fiercely.

"Yes it does! Mom, Dad, Auntie, Uncle, Alex and Sasha all said they were going to come back, and none of them did!" Cecilia wailed and I closed my eyes for a moment, my eyes stinging behind my lids as I forced down tears.

"Now you listen here, Cecilia." I said, grabbing her by the shoulders and prying her off of me. "Alex and Sasha knew what they were doing, Cecilia." I said firmly but glanced warily at Anne, who was standing back and moving around, pretending not to be hearing anything, which I was grateful for. "They left and took the danger with them, and that's why they didn't come back… but this is different."

"How?" Cecilia demanded shrilly, tears pouring from her eyes.

"Because I'm not alone, Cecilia." I said, my voice dropping to a softer tone. "Hal will be there to keep you safe, but his father will keep _me_ safe." I assured her gently and she sniffled loudly. "Take this with you, Cecilia." I pulled an inhaler out of my pocket and put it in her hand, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Anne didn't see. "Anne, did you already pack her a bag?" I asked, noticing a blue backpack leaning against the wall, looking filled.

"Yes, I did. You were running late." She explained and I nodded.

"Thank you." I said before looking back at Cecilia. "Come on…" I told her, turning around so my back was to her and crouching low. She clambered onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck and squeezing her legs to my hips. I stood up, grabbing the backpack as I went, and silently left the room. Several people were walking through the halls, and I went with the masses until we left the building, where Clayton was rounding everyone up. I felt my anxiety skyrocket as I lowered Cecilia to the ground, but hid it for Cecilia's sake.

"I love you, Ci… but a lot of people have given up their lives to protect us. Alex and Sasha died so that we could live, and I don't intend to make their sacrifice meaningless." I whispered to Cecilia, who nodded quietly, turning and walking away to Matt without a word of goodbye. I sighed heavily, running a hand though my hair as I stood up.

"Don't worry about her." Hal's voice right beside me startled me, and I snapped my head to see him standing next to me. "I know what you're both feeling." He explained.

"How so?" I asked with a light frown.

"I haven't been away from Dad since the attack." Hal explained. "Excluding scouting, that is… but now I'm going off without him, and it's making me feel…"

"Itchy?" I asked and he looked at me weirdly.

"Itchy?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Like you've got ants crawling under your skin. Itchy." I said with a shrug and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"But why call it itchy? Why not call it tickly, or crawly?" He asked and I laughed at the childish tone he took on saying those words. He flashed me a grin, shrugging. "Fine, I guess itchy works."

"I wonder if that's my bad feeling… if I just have a bad feeling because I'm being separated from Cecilia." I mused thoughtfully, my brow furrowing.

"Probably, since I feel the same… But don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her. Should be easy since she and Matt are inseparable."

"Weird, that." I hummed and he nodded agreement. "I wonder what sparked that… I'm rather surprised, since Cecilia is rather untrusting of anyone but… well, I guess now it's just me." I said with a sad smile and a shrug.

"Looks like it's time to go." Hal said with a sigh. "Cecilia is still having some weakness, right?"

"Yeah, but it's getting better." I confirmed and he nodded.

"Alright. I'll make sure she doesn't fall behind." He said with a smile. "See you soon, Alyssa." Hal said with a wink before he jogged forward to catch up with the group of kids Clayton was leading away. I watched them all leave, Cecilia never once looking back.

* * *

><p><strong>Aw... Cecilia is hurt by Alyssa sending her away =(<strong>

**Expect the next chapter posted tomorrow! All these reviews have got me on a roll ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

***hugs you all!* I love getting these reviews! I'm glad so many of you like my story =)**

**Disclaimer: Falling Skies is not mine =(**

* * *

><p>I heard the approach of dirt bikes and instantly hurried out of the school to find Tom and Weaver talking. "What'd you find?" Weaver asked.<p>

"Nothing. This map is wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Weaver questioned and I frowned deeply.

"Oh, it's rural alright, but we didn't see anything close to Clayton's sanctuary." Tom explained. "Still no sign of the third?"

"No."

"Escorts aren't back yet?"

"No, still not back…" Weaver growled and I narrowed my eyes. "Damn it… Clayton had no reason to lie to us…"

"Then why is it not one thing he told us is holding up? We need to organize a search team. Kids on foot couldn't of gotten that far." Tom said insistently.

"No way. Our orders are clear. We are to hold-"

"Orders relayed by a man we barely know." Tom cut him off sharply.

"In a dicey situation where we don't have clue one about what might have happened." Weaver barked, following Tom as he returned to a dirt bike. I moved forward as well, looking between the two men and Dai uncertainly.

"You know that something's not right!"

"All I know is what I've been told. We _wait_." Weaver commanded, but Tom looked at him defiantly.

"_You _wait. I'm going back out. It'll be daylight soon." Tom said and I stepped forward before anyone else could say anything.

"Wait. Let me come with you." I said and all three men frowned at me. "I'm quicker than all of you. If you guys find something, it might be in a situation where both of you will be needed since you're fighters. If it comes to that, I can just run back here for help instead of one of you getting left stranded in a bad situation, or both of you having to come back and us losing them." I explained seriously. When they all stayed silent and I could see Tom preparing a denial, I went on quickly.

"You want to go so desperately because your sons are out there, Tom. Well, the girl I think of like a baby sister, who I helped raise, is also out there… Besides, you can't deny that my logic is solid." I said sternly and Tom sighed.

"We don't have another bike." He said.

"That's fine. I'll ride on the back." I said swiftly and Dai skeptically looked at the back of Tom's dirt bike, since it had the larger back. Tom just nodded and without hesitation, I leapt onto the back of the bike, sitting very uncomfortably seeing as it was tiny without any cushioning. I grabbed the back of Tom's collar tightly. "Better not do any crazy stuff, sir, or I'll strangle you." I said lightly and Tom chuckled softly before he and Dai took off.

* * *

><p>It was only an hour and a half later when we slowed to a stop for the fifth time, looking around. "If this war is coming, it sure is taking it's sweet time." Tom said with a sigh before frowning.<p>

"Hey, is that-" I began, seeing a figure moving towards us.

"That looks like Ben!" Tom said, climbing off the bike quickly. I followed, as did Dai, as Tom ran forward. "Ben!"

"Dad!" Ben shouted back, running towards us as fast as he could. He slowed to a stop right in front of Tom.

"Where's Hal and Matt?"

"They're with the others!" Ben said, his breathing heavy. "They don't know Clayton's coming."

"They're not at the sanctuary?" Tom questioned sharply.

"No, no. Said it was a sanctuary? We left and they started shooting at us!" Ben said quickly.

"Wait, Clayton?" Tom asked.

"Yeah… I think Mike's dead." Ben added and I flinched.

"What?" I asked, but Tom's question overpowered my voice.

"Is anybody else hurt?" He asked, his voice a bit softer than before.

"Not when I left." Ben said and Tom nodded.

"Alright. I need you to tell me everything." Tom said firmly, and Ben launched into his story about what happened at the 'sanctuary'. Once he was finished, my anxiety had spiked greatly and my arms were trembling. I folded them across my chest to hide it, frowning at Tom. "Alright, Ben. You and Alyssa go back to the base and get backup." Tom instructed, but I instantly protested.

"Wait, what? No." I said quickly. "I know how to shoot a gun, Tom, and Ben is old enough to be able to go back there on his own. You'll need all the help you can get if he's right about their numbers."

"She's right, Tom." Dai cut in before he could protest. "We'll need the help. Besides, she's quick, and our best bet is to tail them back to their base. If we get caught, she can get away probably before they even know she was there, and then double back and continue following." Dai said and Tom sighed heavily.

"Alright… Take the smaller bike, Ben. It's quicker." Tom instructed and Ben nodded, jumping on the dirt bike Dai had been on. "Come on, and remember to be quiet."

"Really? Here I was under the impression we were going to just run in screaming." I mused thoughtfully and both Dai and Tom looked at me oddly. "Kidding… but you know, that's what they always do in war movies." I sighed dramatically. "No sense…" I grumbled under my breath as we sped into a run, hurrying down the roads.

* * *

><p>"Stupid plan, stupid plan, stupid plan." I whispered to myself as I walked out beside Tom, both of us holding our hands in the air.<p>

"Shh!" Tom hissed and I silenced myself, but chanted the words in my head. I didn't understand why in the hell Tom made _me_ go out with him instead of letting Dai do it, or just going out himself so Dai and I could both follow, but there I was. I guess he figured it'd be easier for one spy to not get caught, and that I'd be able to get away if it came to it. Yeah... Judging by the amount of guns pointed at us, I'd have to say that not even my speed would get me out of this one.

"We're not taking any prisoners today, Mason." Clayton called to us as we approached.

"Well, you might want to think about that one. Everything you told us is a lie." Tom said, and we were only a few feet away now. "I know you haven't talked to Porter… because I have and he's on his way." Tom said smoothly and I had to fight to show no reaction. I knew that was a lie, and him saying that caught me off guard.

"So what, then? You're going to offer yourselves up as hostages, then?" Tom nodded in response to Clayton's question. "Why?"

"We don't want them to get hurt." Tom answered, jerking his head towards the house.

"… Grab their weapons." Clayton commanded.

"What makes you think he's telling the truth?" One of his men asked.

"Because he's smart enough to understand that if I even suspect he's lying, I'm going to take it out on his boys." Clayton replied with a glare towards us, and I fought the urge to jerk away when the man pulled my handgun from the holster at my hip. "Alright, Tom, you call them out." Clayton ordered sharply once our weapons were removed… Most of them, anyways. The man did a pitiful job of checking me, as I still had my knife hidden in my sleeve.

Well, not exactly. Hiding knives in sleeves is just stupid. I had a pocket knife, with one end of it tucked into my glove, the rest of his concealed by my cargo jacket. "Hal, Matt, come out. It's over." Tom shouted towards the house, being ushered forward by the man who took our weapons while Clayton walked up next to me.

"Don't try anything, little girl." He hissed, grabbing me by my braided hair. I ground my teeth as he tugged on my hair, glaring at him defiantly. A moment later the doors of the house opened and Hal led the group of children out of it. _Stupid plan, stupid plan, stupid plan._ I chanted in my mind, my heart pounding and my hands shaking with minor tremors. The group surrounded the children, taking all the weapons from Hal and Jimmy.

Cecilia looked at me with wide, fearful eyes, but I smiled reassuringly at her, even though I didn't feel too reassured myself. Hal was talking to Tom, but I didn't hear anything, all too aware of the gun pressed against my back. I bared my teeth in a snarl at Clayton as he began to lead us down the road with him and I in the front, his hand grasping the back of my neck tightly and his gun forcing me forward.

* * *

><p>"Alright," Clayton said, raising his voice as we entered the ranch. "Get all the kids in the stable, now." Clayton commanded but tightened his grip on my neck. "You're going last." He hissed in my ear and I glared icily at him from the corner of my eye.<p>

"No!" Matt cried out, struggling in Lourdes' grip. "I'm not going! Dad!" He shouted, and Tom moved toward shim, but one of the guards raised his gun at Tom. Before he could fire, a gunshot sounded from the house and the man fell to the ground, Weaver and several others walking out of the house.

"Drop 'em!" Weaver commanded sharply, and Clayton tightened his grip on my neck, making me feel a little light headed. Another guard cocked his weapon and Weaver snapped to the side, shooting him in the chest before I could even blink. "Who's next?" Weaver demanded, several of the guards lowering their weapons. The only one who didn't was Clayton, moving me in front of him like a shield. He wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me against him so my neck was pressed inside his elbow crease, limiting my air supply.

"Clayton… Let her go." Weaver said slowly, his voice hard.

"Why? So you can kill me?" Clayton demanded icily and I lifted my hand to my chest, pressing down and slowly wiggling it. I knew it looked odd as hell, but it was inching my pocket knife out of my glove.

"I'll only kill you if I have to, Clayton." Weaver said.

"Oh, really?" Clayton asked, clearly not believing a word of it. _Stupid plan, stupid plan…_ "If you kill me, I'm taking her with me." He hissed, and my eyes widened at the sound of him cocking the gun against my back, finally portraying the fear I'd been hiding. My breathing increased to match my skyrocketing heart rate, and I felt tears in my eyes. I blinked rapidly to get rid of them, finally feeling the pocket knife slid out of my glove.

Maneuvering my hand slowly and carefully, I lowered it to my side. Then, with one quick and well time movement, my pocket knife dropped into my hand. Hal's eyes instantly dropped to it as I carefully kept it out of Clayton's sight and unfolded the blade. This time, Weaver noticed it. "Clayton." He said instantly, keeping the man's attention on him. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why am I doing this? Because someone has to survive this war to keep the human race going." Clayton said with a bitter chuckle, and I took the opportunity. I swung one arm behind my back, knocking his gun hand to the side just as I stabbed my knife into his ribs. His arm loosened around my neck at the same instant a loud bang sounded, and I felt a breath-taking pain in my side. Without hesitating, I shoved his arm off my neck and staggered forward.

Hal, being closest, caught me and pulled me quickly away from Clayton. He crouched on the ground, lowering me down so I was sitting in front of him. "Are you hurt?" Hal asked urgently, but I was staring wide eyed at Clayton, who was lying on the ground, gasping for air with my knife sticking out of his side. "Alyssa?" Hal's voice sounded distant to me. "Dad?" I heard him call in alarm, but I didn't hear anything else but the pounding of my heart as I watched Clayton's chest give one last, desperate heave.

His whole body stilled, his eyes staring up at the sky, unmoving. _I killed him_. Those three words echoed in my mind, over and over again. A sudden, sharp pain in my side snapped me from my daze with a cry of pain. I realized that Tom was kneeling on my right side while Hal was on my other side, and that Tom had lifted up the right side of my camisole shirt and cargo jacket, and was touching my flesh just above my hip bone. "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice a bit of a croak.

"The bullet missed you completely, but the side of the gun tip was touching you when he fired. It burned you, but it's minor so don't worry." Tom said, still feeling the skin around a crescent shaped burn.

"Oh… No wonder it hurts…" I murmured, my eyes automatically drifting to Clayton's unmoving body.

"We don't have anything to treat it with, so you'll have to suffer through the pain until we get back to base, unfortunately." Tom said with a sigh, lowering my shirt and jacket and standing up.

"Hal. You take her back on one of the bikes." Weaver commanded from where he stood a few feet away, turning back to his conversation.

"Come on, Alyssa." Hal said softly, his arm wrapping around my shoulders to grasp my right bicep, helping me stand. I winced at the pain in my side as we walked the few feet to the bikes. He sat on it and stood it up so I could climb on the back, which hurt like a son of a bitch as it tugged at my burn. Once I was on the back, I loosely wrapped my arms around his waist and he started the bike up, driving away quickly.

After a few minutes of numbly watching the world pass by, I leaned forward and pressed the side of my face to his back, closing my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Alyssa's in shock from killing a human =( Don't worry, though, she gets over it and goes right to being a not-so-badass-badass.<br>Review please xD **


	8. Chapter 8

**Here you go, everyone =) I'll have you know that I've been typing so much that the skin on one of my fingers is flaking off xD How cool is that?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Falling Skies**

* * *

><p>"Are you ever going to get out of that bed?" Hal asked me, his voice entirely too amused for my liking.<p>

"No." I answered, burying my face further into my pillow.

"I'm sorry, what? I don't understand mumble." Hal said and I lifted my head to scowl at him.

"Go away. I'm trying to sleep."

"But you _aren't_sleeping." Hal pointed out and I huffed.

"Because you keep waking me!" I snapped and he grinned lightly.

"Because you need to change your bandage." He said simply and I rolled my eyes.

"You're impossible."

"To figure out?" Hal asked, quoting a line from the song Impossible by Anberlin.

"So impossible I'm having doubts…" I quoted as well, smirking as I went on. "About your sanity, that is." I said and he sighed at me.

"Come on, it needs to be done. Don't delay the inevitable." Hal said and I groaned, rolling onto my back.

"But not delaying it would go against the oath I took when I became an official procrastinator." I said lightly and Hal chuckled while I grinned at him. "Alright, help me with this thing." I ordered as I lifted my camisole up to my bottom ribs, exposing a white square taped to my side. I craned my neck and started peeling off the tape, Hal doing the same. "Ever heard the song Get Out Alive by Three Days Grace?"

"Depressing song." He said with a snort, nodding.

"Agreed… I probably should have taken that songs advice to heart and ran for my life instead of getting dragged into this mess." I said dryly, hissing in pain when Hal carefully lifted the bandage off my burn.

"Sorry…" He mumbled the apology, but I just shook my head.

"Don't be. Just be sorry that the jackass who did this to me didn't die slower." I said with disgust. While I'd initially gone into shock from killing another human being, a first for me, I'd quickly gotten back to normal. Unfortunately, Cecilia didn't seem to get back to normal, and was hell bent on ignoring me for the rest of my life. She was giving me the absolute cold shoulder, to the point that when Anne let me go back to my room a day after the whole ordeal, I'd found she'd moved her bed all the way across the room and put it beside Matt's.

To say I was hurt would be an understatement, but I understood what she was doing. To a degree, anyways. I'd promised to stay safe, but I ended up risking my life for her and getting hurt in the process. She was angry with me for breaking my promise, afraid because she'd almost lost me just like everyone else in her life, which also made her angry because I'd promised her it would be different. In the end, I did the same thing Alex and Sasha had done, and she was taking her guilt and fear out on me in the form of silent anger.

"Uhg… Will it ever stop being gross?" I wondered, resisting the urge to touch the burn.

"Will you?" Hal shot back and I gaped at him in shock.

"…Ow…" I said after a moment. "I think you just crushed a part of my soul." I said in a dramatically small voice.

"Where'd you get a soul?" Hal asked in an surprised tone and I rolled my eyes, laughing softly.

"Yeah, screw you too." I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Hold still." Hal murmured seriously as he lifted up a wet wash rag.

"Holding still." I said, inhaling sharply when the wash rag touched my burn, gently rubbing it. It didn't hurt nearly as much as before, though, as a week had already passed. "Did you get what you needed on the scouting?" I asked after we'd cleaned, treated, and re-bandaged the burn.

"Oh, yeah. You're never going to believe what we found."

"Acidic alien blood?" I asked hopefully and he chuckled.

"No, but only you would hope for that… No, we found a third race." He said and I stilled, looking at him seriously. "They are very tall, thin, and gray skinned. We saw them ordering Skitters around." He explained and I frowned deeply.

"That changes things… When are we attacking?" I asked and Hal held up three fingers. "Three days?" I asked and he nodded. "Uhg…" I groaned, dropping my head onto the pillow. "Maybe I should sit it out."

"Sit it out?" Hal asked sharply.

"Yes. Every time I go somewhere and you're there too, I end up getting hurt." I said with a huff.

"You just have bad luck." He retorted and I laughed lightly.

"Yeah, and you're causing it." I teased and he smiled.

"Pleasure to be of service." He said with a bow and I rolled my eyes.

"Actually, that reminds me. I need to ask you a favor." I said, feeling my cheeks heat up slightly.

"Sure. What's up?" Hal asked with interest.

"Um… Well… I need you to teach me to shoot." I said in a rush and Hal stared at me incredulously.

"I thought you said you could shoot a gun." He said after a moment and I sighed in annoyance.

"A two year old can shoot a gun, Hal. Doesn't make them any good at it." I snapped and he sighed.

"Alright, alright." He held his hands up in mock surrender. "I'll help you with your aim."

"Thanks…" I said gratefully, draping my forearm over my face so it covered my eyes. I heard Hal moving around, flopping down onto his cot like he always did, and we sat in silence for at least twenty minutes before I spoke up. "You know…" I began, ignoring his 'no I don't'. "It was Sasha's birthday when they attacked… Sasha was my brother's girlfriend, and Cecilia's older sister." I added quickly. "The same day, a new movie came out in theaters and we skipped school to go see it."

"My dad took us, and when… when they attacked, we were able to survive, at first… but then my town was hit by the round ups, and we couldn't get away… Cecilia and Sasha's family were in it, too. They killed her parents and her infant brother, and started to go after her." I sighed heavily, my voice shaking slightly, but my eyes held no tears. "And I moved without thinking, shielding her with my own body. That's how I got the scar on my chest you've been holding your tongue about."

"You noticed?" Hal asked sheepishly.

"Hard not to when you looked so surprised at the sight of it." I said with a soft laugh. "Anyways, the Skitter knocked me away and grabbed a harness to put on me, but my dad stabbed the Skitter before it could do anything. The whole group of Skitters was distracted by that, and so I took Cecilia and ran, my brother and his girlfriend coming with. A few others got away, but no one I knew…"

"The four of us stuck together for a while, but about a month before you saved my life… we ran into a Skitter, unprepared. We split into two, and I took Cecilia and ran while Alex and Sasha ran in another direction. The Skitter came after us at first, but Alex… Alex shot at it and drew its attention… Had I not sworn to Alex that I would stay alive, I would have gone back to help… I found his body the next day." I trailed off quietly.

"…Anyways, I just wanted to share that with something, because with the way my luck is around this damn militia, I won't be coming out of this next battle." I said lightly, hearing Hal shift abruptly.

"Don't say that." He said, his voice harsh. I blinked in surprise, pulling my arm from my face to look at him. He was standing at the side of my bed, looking down at me with an angered expression. "Don't ever say something like that, joking or not."

"You're right." I said after a moment. "I'm sorry." I apologized sincerely.

"Good." Hal said icily before spinning around and storming out of the room. I stared after him, confused by his sudden burst of anger. He'd never gotten angry with me before, and I didn't like the anxiousness it gave me. Biting my lip uncertainly, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, wincing at the twinge in my side it gave me, and stood up. With a heavy sigh, I made my way out of the room, finding to my relief that I could walk normally with hardly any pain.

* * *

><p>I felt bitterness well up in me as I glanced into the cafeteria where everyone was laughing at a movie Uncle Scott had gotten a hold of. My eyes drifted to Hal, Ben, Matt, and Cecilia, who were all laughing at it. I turned around and slid back out the door unnoticed, my eyes tearing slightly, but I forced them back firmly. My body felt shaky, but my limbs were still as I walked down the hall, fully intent on lying down on my bed and hiding from the world and all the problems in it for a night.<p>

Unfortunately, I passed the infirmary on the way, and the door was wide open. "Alyssa?" Anne called and I stopped outside the door, sighing.

"Yes?" I asked and she frowned at me.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, taking in my clearly depressed state.

"What isn't?" I shot back bitterly and she narrowed her eyes critically.

"Come here, Alyssa." Anne said softly and I felt tears in my eyes as I realized something. The reason I was always so drawn to Anne, I realized when I recalled someone else saying those same words she had, was because she was a lot like my mother. I slipped into the room, sitting down in the offered chair. Anne pulled a chair up and sat down, close enough that our knees were touching. "What's wrong, Alyssa?" She asked, those three words making tears slid from my eyes.

"Damn it." I cursed, wiping them away hastily, but they just kept coming. "Why can't I stop crying lately?" I asked bitterly and Anne sighed.

"It's the stress, Alyssa." She said gently. "But something else is wrong, isn't it? You wouldn't be crying just because of stress."

"Everything is wrong, Anne." I said, my voice breaking and I scolded myself for being so damn weak. "Cecilia hasn't spoken a word to me since I made her go with Clayton, and now… now even Hal is giving me the cold shoulder." I said, a sob tearing from my lips as I gave in to the sadness I was feeling and the comfort Anne was offering. "I don't even know why… I made a joke that, looking back on it, I understand why it would have upset him, but not this much." After all, he'd also lost a lot of people in the attacks, so joking about dying was in bad taste.

"And Cecilia won't even look at me anymore. I know she's upset with me, but… it shouldn't matter, not after everything…" I broke off with a chest shaking sob. "Not after…"

"Not after everything you've been through?" Anne offered softly and I nodded, tears pouring from my eyes.

"And Hal…" I choked on a sob. "I hate this… I hate that he isn't talking to me." I explained weakly. "Both of them aren't speaking to me, and… and it makes me feel…" A watery sob stopped me from continuing.

"It makes you feel alone." Anne concluded quietly and I nodded jerkily, tears dripping to the floor. She stood up and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me to her tightly. "You're not alone, Alyssa. I promise you that. Cecilia loves you, and Hal cares about you. Just give them a little while and they'll come around, I promise." Anne said soothingly, and I suddenly became hyperaware of how I was acting. I pulled away, wiping my tears away and smiling at Anne.

"I'm just being a baby." I said with a soft laugh. "Look at me, I'm falling apart over nothing."

"Anne!" Tom's shout made me jerk away from her abruptly, turning my head so I was looking away from the door. "Anne, get ready. Dai's returned and he's badly hurt." Tom said urgently.

"What can I do?" I asked, turning to Anne as she instantly burst into action.

"Tom, get Lourdes, but be discreet about it. We don't need to spark panic." Anne instructed and Tom nodded, glancing at my tear stained face before racing back out of the room. "Here, Alyssa. Wipe your face so no one thinks you're emotionally unstable." Anne commanded in a playful tone as she held out a cold wash rag. I took it and wiped my face with it quickly, drying my damp skin on my shirt.

"Stay here just in case Weaver needs to send out another scout, alright?" Anne asked and I nodded.

"Yes ma'am." I said, forcing my depression to the back of my mind as other things took precedent. A few moments later, Weaver and Danner brought in a bloodied Dai.

"Over here!" Anne said sharply and the two men lowered Dai onto the instructed bed.

"Snow." Weaver said, turning to me.

"Yes, sir?" I asked and he narrowed his eyes.

"Take Dai's dirt bike back out and head to Porter. If you see any signs of alien activity, get what you can and come back."

"Me, sir?" I asked in surprise and he nodded.

"You're our fastest scout, and therefore have the best chance of returning should something go wrong. Go now, Snow." Weaver said sharply and whipped around, dashing out into the hallway quickly. I raced past a surprised Tom and Lourdes, running out the front doors quickly.

"Weaver's sending me out!" I shouted to the guards, who moved away and let me through to Dai's bike. I grimaced at the blood on the seat, but climbed on without hesitating none-the-less. "See you guys soon!" I said, giving the guards a quick two-fingered salute before I spun the dirt bike around, racing off in Porter's direction.

* * *

><p><strong>Dun, Dun, Dun...<strong>

**I wonder if Alyssa's going to go with Hal on the attack, or stay behind with Cecilia.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here you go!**

* * *

><p>"Hey, where's Alyssa?" Hal asked his father as Tom passed him in the hall. Tom paused, looking at his eldest son with a frown.<p>

"Weaver sent her out on a scouting mission." Tom said, glancing out the window at the midday sun.

"Where? And when?" Hal asked in surprise.

"He sent her out to scout Porter's camp when Dai returned last night." Tom explained and Hal's eyes widened.

"He sent her out, alone, to where our fighter scout had just returned half-dead from?" Hal questioned slowly and Tom sighed, looking at his son sternly.

"I'm sure Weaver knew what he was doing, Hal. She's not due back for another hour, so don't worry yet." Tom paused, seeing his son was not assured by his words. "She can take care of herself, Hal. I'm sure she'll be fine."

* * *

><p>"Son of a bitch!" I screamed as I ducked just in time for a Mechs stun to fly over my head. I looked over my shoulder at the following Mech with wide eyes, drawing my handgun and aiming at it while I used my free hand to control the dirt bike. I fired twice in rapid succession, but neither of the bullets hit the quickly moving mechanical creation. <em>Damn it! I can't lead it back to the base!<em> I thought, pushing the bike as fast as it would go.

_Son of a_- I cursed mentally as the Mech kept pace with me. With a snarl, I aimed my handgun again, this time aiming for a foot. I fired, and the Mech let out one of its metallic groaning noises, stumbling and falling to the ground. I gaped at it in amazement as I drove forward, the Mech attempting to stand up. "Shit… Shit, shit, shit." I cursed, my eyes widening. I looked ahead, my eyes widening even further when I realized there was a Skitter right in-fucking-front of me.

"Shit!" I cried out, jerking the bike to the side at the last second. I saw the Skitter swipe it's clawed hand out to grab me, but I managed to mostly dodge it. Pain tore through my face as two claw tips grazed me, my speed combined with the power behind its blow making the claws rip my flesh. I cried out at the pain, one of the gashes going from above my left eyebrow, through the corner of it, and down to the joint in my jaw. The other one went from just under my eye, missing it by a centimeter, down to halfway down my jawbone.

I squeezed my eye shut as blood seeped into it, making it burn painfully. I looked quickly over my shoulder to see the Skitter chasing, but falling behind, and the Mech still on the ground. I focused my attention to the road in front of me, driving as fast as the bike would go. Blood dripped down my chin, tickling like mad, but I didn't try to wipe it away, knowing my hands were filthy and I would just succeed in getting dirt in my wounds.

I looked at the left side mirror, grimacing at the amount of blood on my face. It covered the whole left half of my face, but I could tell that the gashes themselves weren't very deep. Facial wounds and forehead wounds just bled like crazy, a fact I knew from my brother. I shot down the roads, reaching the stretch of road leading to the school in only fifteen minutes. As I approached the school, I could see a ton of movement going on, people piling into vehicles.

Tom was the first person to notice me approaching, his eyes widening in alarm at the blood. He ran forward to meet me as I slowed the dirt bike to a stop. "I'm fine." I snapped at him when he tried to help me down from the bike. "Where's Weaver?" I asked him.

"Over there. What happened?" Tom demanded, but I ignored him, jogging in the given direction. I looked around carefully, and finding Weaver proved to be more difficult with only one working eye, but I found him after a minute.

"Captain!" I shouted, getting his attention. He turned to look at me, eyes widening with alarm.

"What happened?" He asked gruffly as I slowed to a stop in front of him.

"Skitter got me. Don't worry, I'm fine, but the whole place is overrun by Mechs and Skitters. I barely got away." I informed him. "I didn't see any sign of Porter or his men."

"I see… Go get yourself fixed up, Alyssa. You did good." Weaver said and I looked around skeptically.

"What's going on?"

"We're getting prepared to go through with the plan. Go to the infirmary before you bleed to death." He said sternly and I resisted the urge to growl in frustration, settling for whipping around and marching towards the school. I walked into the school and was almost immediately greeted by Ben.

"Hey, Alys- whoa!" He blanched at the blood of my face. "Holy crap. What happened?" Ben asked in alarm as he grabbed my hand.

"What are you- Hey!" I protested as Ben started jogging towards the infirmary, forcing me to keep up.

"Anne!" Ben called as he dragged me into the infirmary, and said woman looked up from where she was packing a box, instantly jumping to her feet.

"Come here, Alyssa." Anne said, her voice urgent. I frowned at that. Why was she being urgent? It wasn't that bad, it just bled a lot, I thought as I sat down. Anne grabbed a wash rag began dabbing the blood away, putting a bowl on my leg so the blood dripping off my face was dripping into it instead of all over her infirmary. "Hold still, Alyssa." Anne said and I held my head as still as I could as she put the wash rag back into her bowl of water. I watched as the blood turned the water a red color, my brows furrowing.

Well, tried to, anyways. Pain shot through my face at the movement, and I grimaced, the only non-painful thing I could do to show my distaste. "Ben, in the box in the corner over by the beds is a bottle of disinfectant. Could you please grab that for me?"

"Y-yeah." Ben stammered, his eyes fixed on my face for a moment longer before he ran over to the box quickly. _What the hell?_ I wondered, frowning.

"Don't do that, Alyssa." Anne chided and I forced my expression to relax.

"Why are you guys freaking out? It's not that bad!" I exclaimed in frustration and Anne, not even looking away from her cleaning of my wounds, lifted up the bowl on my leg. My eyes- well, my _eye_ since the other was closed, widened in surprise. There was way more blood in it then I'd thought there'd be. She silently set it back down as Ben came over, handing her a bottle of disinfectant.

"Thank you, Ben… Now, go to the box on my desk. There's a bottle of GluStitch in there that I'm going to need."

"Glue stitch?" I asked sharply and in alarm.

"Yes… I'd stitch it with regular stitching, but that requires someone to be there to remove them." Anne said calmly. "What happened to you? I heard you were sent to go find Porter."

"Lot of good that did me." I snapped, suddenly feeling twitchy and anxious as Anne continued to clean my face. She pulled the cloth away, turning around to clean it. "The whole damn place was swarmed by aliens. I couldn't even get remotely close before a Mech caught me." I sighed heavily. "I'm lucky that Weaver gave me some Mech bullets, though I didn't want to use them."

"Why not?" Anne asked, turning around again with a confused expression.

"I can't find it!" Ben called from across the room before I could respond.

"Check the box on the chair, then!" Anne called back before turning to me expectantly again.

"I didn't want to reveal our trump c-ARD!" I screamed the last syllable as she put the cloth back on my face, which, judging by the incredible burning it brought, was covered by the disinfectant. "Son of a-" I cursed loudly, letting out a string of curses, most of which I made up on the spot. Tears of pain filled my eyes as she disinfected my skin as fast as she could, then grabbed another wash rag, soaked it, and wiped the burning disinfectant quickly.

A couple of tears escape my eyes from the pain, and Anne looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, but it had to be done."

"I'd rather have risked it getting infected, thanks." I shot back, but with no bite since I knew she was right.

"Here, I found it." Ben said, appearing out of nowhere and offering a bottle to Anne.

"Thanks, Ben… You can go back to Uncle Scott now, if you'd like." Anne suggested but he shook his head.

"I'd rather stay here." Ben said and Anne nodded.

"Alright, then help me do this. This is called skin glue, Alyssa, Ben. It's going to seal your wound shut, and it'll stay in place on its own long enough for your skin to heal shut. That way you don't need a doctor to remove stitches for you… But it won't be as effective as stitching due to the size of your injuries." Anne added warningly. "It will still do its job, though."

"Alright." I agreed with a nod, easily seeing that this was the best option. Besides, I didn't want to have my face stitched back together by a needle and thread, especially since Anne didn't have any numbing shots. I shuddered at the thought of it as Anne began instructing Ben how to place it, and then the two set to work, Anne working on the cut that started above my eyebrow and Ben on the one below my eye. "I feel like I'm being experimented on." I said after a moment, and Anne raised an eyebrow at me.

"Never mind." I said with a small grin.

"So how did you get hurt?" Anne asked curiously.

"Well, when I was trying to get away from the Mech, it started to get really close to me. I tried to shoot it, but I missed twice." I sighed. "I took a third shot a few minutes later and blew a hole in the part that connects the foot to the leg, and it fell to the ground and couldn't get back up. When I turned around to face the road again, there was a Skitter right in front of me."

"Did you shoot it?" Ben asked with interest.

"No, it was too close. Even if I did shoot it, it'd be a corpse in front of me and I'd have to get off my bike and push it around the bastard. It would have taken too much time, so I just turned sharply to go around it." I frowned deeply, but relaxed my face when Anne shot me a look. "Anyways, the damned thing reached out to grab me, and I managed to dodge it, but two of its claws got me, and here I am… wondering why I have this noobie putting me back together instead of Lourdes." I added teasingly and Ben smirked in amusement.

"Lourdes is with the civilians at the moment, helping them pack." Anne explained. "You said that Porter's base was infested by aliens?" She asked, her expression worried.

"Yeah."

"No sign of any humans?"

"Nothing…" I sighed heavily. "But I couldn't get close. I didn't even get in a miles radius of the base before the Mech found me. I ran from the damn thing for three hours."

"Did you tell Weaver all this?"

"Yes, and he sent me here afterwards. Don't ask me what he plans, because I haven't got a clue."

"Yeah, you and the rest of the world." I thought I heard Anne mutter, but I couldn't be sure. "Alright, you're done." Anne said and I sighed in relief, hopping from the stool.

"Great! I need to go get my things together."

"So do I." Ben said with a groan and I laughed softly.

"Come on, procrastinator." I said teasingly, heading for the door with Ben following.

"Hey, I'm not the only one who hasn't packed." He said with a pointed look and I grinned.

"I got sent on a mission and slapped by a Skitter. What's your excuse?" I countered as we walked towards the room his family, Cecilia, and I were in.

"I was helping Scott with his transmitter thing." Ben said with a shrug and I grinned at him, nodding.

"Uh-huh. Suuuure." I said teasingly and he rolled his eyes, pushing past me to enter the room first. I laughed, following him in and walking over to my cot. I pulled out my duffle bag from underneath it, grabbing my stuff and just chucking things into the bag at random. After a few minutes of doing this, I reached to grab a book when I suddenly felt really woozy. "Whoa…" I mumbled, feeling myself threatening to topple over.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked as I sat down on the bed, hanging my head and taking deep breaths.

"Nothing, I'm fine… The blood loss is catching up to me, that's all." I assured him.

"I'll go get you some food." He said, and I moved to assure him that it was fine and I could do it myself, but turning my head made my vision swim dangerously.

"Thank you." Was all I managed to groan out weakly, fighting down the urge to vomit. He returned only a few minutes later with a bowl of soup, handing it to me quickly. "That was fast… and this is more than usual."

"I told Kate that you were hurt and lost a lot of blood, and she just shoved this at me." Ben said with a shrug.

"Thanks." I returned gratefully, eating the soup as fast as my stomach would permit.

"You're not looking much butter." Ben noted ten minutes later when he finished packing.

"It'll take a little while, but I'll be back on my feet in no time." I assured him, sighing.

"Well, let's go talk to Anne. You'll need your strength back as quick as possible since we're moving out tomorrow." He pointed out and I scowled at him.

"Quit using your logic on me." I snapped at him and he laughed.

"No wonder Hal likes you so much." He said and my playful demeanor dampened a bit.

"Alright, help me up, Mr. Know It All. I can walk on my own, probably, but standing up is a different matter." I said, offering him my arm. He took it, helping me onto my feet, steadying me when my vision blackened out at the movement. "Uhg… Alright, I'm already sick of this." I said as my vision started to clear. "Let's go."

We walked to the infirmary with relatively no problems, and Anne sighed in annoyance when she saw me. "I knew this would happen. Come on." Anne motioned to a bed and I walked over, sitting down on the edge of it.

"You don't have to shadow me, Ben." I said, looking at the blonde haired boy with a frown.

"I know, but it's not every day I get the chance to see you so subdued." He said lightly and I narrowed my eyes.

"You little-"

"Okay!" Anne clapped her hands together, cutting me off. "Ben, go to Aunt Kate-"

"I already got food for her and she ate it all." Ben interrupted and Anne nodded.

"Alright, then go and grab a few bottles of water from the lockers." She instructed and he nodded, hurrying out of the room to do that. "Usually, I'd put you on a saline IV to help, but I don't have anything like that." She said with a sigh. "So drinking a lot of water is the best you can do."

"Yes ma'am." I said with a nod, growling in annoyance when it made me dizzy.

"How's your eye? You were keeping it closed before."

"Oh, that was just because blood was getting in it." I assured her, closing my other eye and widening the one I'd previously kept closed so she could see it was fine.

"Alright, it looks fine." She said and I opened both eyes normally.

"Here." Ben called as he returned, four water bottles in his arms. He set two down beside me, took one for himself, and offered the fourth to Anne who took it gratefully. I opened one of mine and drank as much of it as I could at once, eager to feel better.

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have it! Have you ever lost a lot of blood? I once had a doctor who sent me in to get 26 vials of blood drawn in one sitting - My mom practically carried me to the car and into the next Chili's, where I had the meal of my life =P<strong>

**and one time when I had surgery done, I lost over a liter of blood (fun fact: One liter is 20% of the total blood volume in an adult human) and ended up sleeping for 2 days from it xD**


	10. Chapter 10

**Uhg... Sorry about the late update. I was sick all night and slept all day, and I still feel like crap But anyways, here's Chapter 10 for you guys... Hope you like it =)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FS, but I do currently own a very icky flu.**

* * *

><p>I sighed as I stared down at Dai, waiting for him to wake up so he could tell me what <em>he<em> knew about the humans in Porter's camp and if any of them got away. I heard footsteps approaching and glanced at the doorway from the corner of my eye to see Hal, Margaret, and Jimmy entering the room. "Weaver's holding Tom in custody." Hal growled as he entered the room, not even noticing me. I suddenly felt very self conscious about the injuries on my face, turning my head so they could only see the uninjured side.

"What?" Anne questioned in alarm.

"Danner's locked him in the boiler room." Jimmy confirmed. "Tom was asking about the drugs he was taking and… he lost it." Jimmy said with a sigh and I frowned. What drugs, I thought incredulously, wondering if Ben knew anything about it and wishing I hadn't chased him off.

"I'm not surprised." Anne said and Hal sighed.

"I… I don't think Weaver wants to hurt your dad." Jimmy said insistently. "I don't know why he's doing this, but he's a good man."

"Good man or not, he's endangering everybody here." Anne pointed out.

"We gotta get my dad out."

"Maybe I can help." Jimmy offered and I moved my head minutely towards them, keeping my wounds hidden still.

"Maybe I coul-"

"No." Anne cut me off, everyone else only just then noticing me. "You're staying right there, Alyssa… Can you three get him out of there yourselves?" Anne asked, turning back to them while I glowered at her in annoyance. Hal was eying me and I could tell he was wondering why I was there, but I just turned my head away and focused on Dai again.

"Yeah, we should be able to." Jimmy said with a nod.

"Alright…"

"Anne, Dai's waking up." I called when I saw his head and eyes starting to move.

"Get Tom and bring him here." Anne ordered before turning and walking around the cabinets to Dai and me. Hal nodded, the three of them turning and leaving the infirmary as Anne examined Dai's injury again. "…Don't think I didn't notice what you did." Anne said calmly after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said simply in response.

"Yes you do… You made sure that Hal didn't see your injuries. Why?"

"Because they are currently freaky, and he needs to be focused at the moment, not worrying about me." I replied easily.

"The scars will be minor, Alyssa." Anne said soothingly.

"I don't care about the scars!" I snapped at her and she frowned at my reaction. "Just drop it." I hissed and she sighed heavily.

"Fine…" She said, falling silent for a few minutes. "Are you feeling better?"

"I _was_." I growled and Anne looked down at Dai instead of at me. I looked as well, seeing that Dai's eyes were open. "Oh, you eavesdropper!" I accused without any bite, relief wiping away my previous aggravation.

"Hard not to eavesdrop when you're literally talking _over_ me." Dai murmured, his voice weak.

"How are you feeling?" Anne asked him clinically.

"Like I got impaled." He said and I laughed softly.

"You should have ducked." I teased and he rolled his eyes.

"_You_ try dodging a piece of Mech shrapnel."

"You don't see me bleeding from a hole in my abdomen, do you?" I retorted and he chuckled weakly.

"Don't aggravate the wounded. It's bad bedside manner." Tom said as he strode into the room, Hal, Maggie, and Jimmy behind him.

"I hear you're the one doing the aggravating." I countered and he chuckled softly.

"He's weak, but he's talking." Anne informed Tom, who strode over to stand beside me.

"I know you're hurt, Dai, but this is important. I need to know about Porter." Tom said urgently.

"An hour after I reached Porter's post, the Skitters and Mechs hit. Porter was pinned down… Probably dead by now." Dai said and I felt myself go cold.

"Dead?" Jimmy repeated questioningly.

"Dai… This is important… What were Porter's orders?" Tom asked.

"The other regiments… they never reported in. Runners went out and never came back. Porter said that without confirmation the 4th and 5th were alive, the attack should be aborted." Dai said.

"You told all that to Captain Weaver?" Tom asked, glancing at me.

"All of it… this mission is no good." Dai said and I clenched my hands into fists, anger filling me.

"He _knew_ that they were swarmed by aliens, and he still sent me out there _alone_?" I ground out and Tom looked up at me.

"He's not acting like himself, Alyssa. I'm sorry you got hurt because of it." Tom said calmly, and I saw Hal's confusion.

"I could have been killed! I nearly was!" I snapped at him, inadvertently turning my head when I did. I saw Hal freeze, seeing the wound on my face, and I winced. Without another word, I walked around Tom and out of the room, heading towards the room I was staying in. I strode in and went over to my bed, looking at the book that sat on it. It was dark blue with royal blue vines designed into it, and I lightly brushed it with my fingertips before picking it up and putting it in the duffle bag that also sat on my bed.

"What happened?" Hal's voice informed me that he'd followed me into the room. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, then turned to him and reopened them.

"I got caught." I said as Hal walked closer, his steps slow. "A Mech chased me, I got it down, but then a Skitter jumped out in front of me. I had to swerve around and nearly crashed in my attempt to get away from it, but it reached out to grab me and clawed me." I explained, my voice getting weaker at the end as he stopped right in front of me. He raised his hand up to cup my cheek, careful to not touch the wounds, and I felt myself relax at his touch.

He abruptly dropped his hand, though, when we heard approaching footsteps. Jimmy appeared in the doorway, looking straight at Hal. "Tom's got a plan, and he needs you there, Hal." Jimmy said before looking at me. "Any extra help would be great." He added before whipping around and leaving again.

"Duty calls." Hal said, turning around and heading to the door, pausing at it to look at me. "You coming?" He asked, flashing me a smile to inform me that all was forgiven.

"I would, but I wouldn't be of much use." I said and he shrugged.

"Alright. I'll come find you when it's over… Wish us luck."

* * *

><p>"I see you guys were successful." I murmured to Hal as he led me to the gym.<p>

"Yeah." Hal said and I glanced at him.

"You're quiet… What's wrong?" I asked but he just shook his head.

"Not now… I'll talk to you about it when this is over." He said and I frowned deeply, but nodded.

"I don't need to tell you people what's at stake." Weaver's voice drifted through the gym as Hal and I walked in. "We've all been living on the edge since these alien things came. Tomorrows assault on Boston was meant to be our first strike." Hal and I slid into the front line of the crowd, Hal on my left and Anne to my right. "A coordinated attack with the support of two other Massachusetts regiments. However… Colonel Porter lost contact with these regiments several days ago."

"And now it looks like the Colonel himself might have been lost. Dai brought back the Colonel's last orders… Abort the mission, unless we can confirm the existence of these other units. We still don't know if these other units exist… or if they intend to carry out the attack as planned. But I know… that if there's a breath left in any of those men, they will do their damndest to carry out this attack."

"And if that happens, despite Porter's orders, the 2nd Mass has to be there to back them up. But this attack, as critical as it is, cannot be our only objective." Weaver looked down for a moment before speaking again. "We have a responsibility… and obligation, to protect our civilians. And sometimes, in our desire to strike back, we forget that they represent our future." He went on, his voice softer and almost… emotional.

"So I'm asking for volunteers. I need fifty fighters for this mission." Hal shifted at my side and I glanced at him, but his eyes were on Weaver. "If you're with me, meet me out front." He said, then raised his head high.

"I'm in." Someone called, and other started to call out their agreements, too, shifting and walking out to the exit. I looked at Hal, seeing him watching the others, and I saw something in his actions and his expression that I forced myself to ignore, turning to Anne.

"Are all your medical supplies packed?" I asked her and she nodded.

"For the most part. Lourdes is getting the rest." Anne said and I sighed.

"I hate this feeling." I said to her, seeing Hal walk over to his dad from the corner of my eye.

"What feeling is that?" Anne asked and I rubbed the right side of my forehead wearily.

"Dread."

* * *

><p>"Tom, you're staying?" I asked as I walked up to him.<p>

"Someone has to lead them." He said and I nodded.

"Glad it's you and not Weaver." I said jokingly and he chuckled.

"Yes, well-" Tom paused for a moment, looking at something over my shoulder. "Hal!" Tom shouted just as Hal drive by on a dirt bike. Hal slowed to a stop, looking exasperated, and I felt my insides clench. I thought back to the indecision on his face that I'd ignored in the gym, feeling my dread grow. Hal parked the bike and stood up, walking up to Tom.

"You were right about Weaver, but when you get down to it, he was right too." Hal said with a sigh as he stopped in front of Tom.

"They've got enough fighters. You don't have to do this."

"Yes I do." Hal said instantly with calm determination. "I actually do.. and you gotta stay here and take care of the civilians, just like you've been taking care of me, Matt, and Ben this whole time… and I gotta do this… for mom." Hal said and I looked away, feeling like an intruder. "and for Ben."

"There'll be other battles."

"Not if we don't show them we're not backing down. We've got to hit them with everything we've got." Hal argued calmly. "Make them rethink this war… Weaver can get us to Boston, and once we get there, we're going to blow that structure straight to hell." Hal said, taking a few steps back as he spoke.

"Nothing I can say to you, huh?" Tom asked in a grudgingly accepting manner.

"You can wish me luck."

"…Good luck." Tom replied after a moment and Hal strode forward once more, hugging his father tightly. I turned away, wanting desperately to deny what was going on, to just leave and never have to see him go. "Good luck." Tom repeated emotionally as I started to walk away, but I only got a few steps away when I felt a hand close around my wrist.

"Alyssa-" Hal began, but before he could get another letter out, I whipped around, but my hand on the back of his head and pulled him down a bit, kissing him fiercely. He froze in surprise for a moment, but quickly broke out of it and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against him tightly and kissing me back with equal vigor. The kiss was passionate, but it felt like only a moment had passed before we broke for air.

"I'll come with you." I blurted out, but he immediately shook his head, his hand cupping the uninjured side of my face.

"Cecilia needs you… Besides, Dad will be too busy to look out for Matt and Ben himself. He'll need help." Hal murmured and tears threatened to fill my eyes, but I fought them down stubbornly.

"You talk like you aren't going to come back." I pointed out with a weak smile.

"If I come back, I'll do all of that… but if I don't, I'm asking you to do it." He said softy.

"Of course I will, Hal… You didn't even have to ask." I assured him weakly.

"Cecilia needs you, no matter what happens." Hal said pointedly and I gave him a bitter laugh.

"So I have to choose between you two?" I asked bitterly, his eyes softening, and he leaned down to press his forehead to mine. "I won't do that." I said, my own voice determined now. "When you come back, Hal, I'll be here waiting, and we'll leave for the next hide out together with Cecilia, Ben, Matt, and Tom." I said firmly and he smiled softly.

"Deal." He agreed and, our foreheads still together, I pulled a familiar object out of my pocket. With a quick movement, I reached up and hooked the necklace behind his neck, the black metal circle with two claws inside of it hanging down onto his chest. He pulled away, looking down at it and then raising an eyebrow at me.

"My dad wore that until the day he died, and I'll have to hunt you down and kill you if I don't get it back." I said lightly, smiling at him. "How's _that_ for incentive to return?" I asked and he chuckled.

"It'll do." He said playfully.

"Alright! We're moving out!" Weaver's shout broke through the tense atmosphere, and Hal leaned down. His lips pressed against the corner of my left eye, right between the two gashes on my face, and he pulled away a second later.

"See you." He said quietly, taking several steps back.

"See you." I returned weakly, watching as he climbed onto his bike and took off, following the cavalry.

"He'll be back." Tom said matter-of-factly, stepping up beside me. "He's too stubborn to die." He added and I let out a tired but genuine laugh.

"Yeah, you're right." I agreed with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Alyssa =( Oh well, at least we all know Hal comes back, right? xD<strong>

**Review! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Alright, here you guys go =) I'm still not feeling too great, so the update is a little slower than usual... sorry =(**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own FS T.T**

* * *

><p>"Have you ever seen the movie War of the Worlds?" I asked Jimmy as we stood guard at the barricade.<p>

"No, but I'm living in one." Jimmy said and I grinned at him.

"Okay, well the movie wasn't a great movie, but it was based off the book _The War of the Worlds _by H. G. Wells." I explained and he nodded.

"Okay?" He motioned for me to continue.

"So in the early 1950s, this man, Dr. Clayton Forrester, is fishing with his colleagues when a meteor comes and crashes into a town called Linda Rosa. The meteor is massive and radioactive, but super light!"

"Okay…"

"It's too hot to touch, so they decide to wait until morning to examine it and let it cool down a bit… but that night, the top of the meteor unscrews and a Martian War Machine comes out." I explained enthusiastically. "Three men who remained behind to guard the sight approach it with a friendly demeanor, but the thing vaporizes them with a heat-ray."

"Ouch." Jimmy winced at that with a grimace.

"Yeah… So then a bunch of reports of these meteors start popping up all over the world. The Martians are slowly taking over everything, killing everyone they come near, and they're protected by an impenetrable force field. Well, like I said, they're killing and destroying everything and it's estimated that they'll have taken over everything at the end of six days."

"Holy crap! How many of them are there?" Jimmy asked with wide eyes.

"A ton… No, not a ton. A _shit ton._" I emphasized and he nodded. "So in a desperate attempt to destroy them, the air force drops and atomic bomb on three of the war machines – to no effect. An immediate evacuation of Los Angeles is called as these Martians approach, and some refugees huddle up in a church, waiting for the end to come…" I paused for dramatic effect. "And one of the war machines falls over and stops moving."

"The group of refugees goes out to see what the noise was, and they are greeted by the sight of all these invincible invaders just falling to the ground, dead."

"What happened?" Jimmy asked incredulously and I grinned at him widely.

"Bacteria and virus' killed them because they had no defenses against them."

"I wish that would work here." Jimmy said with a sigh and I shrugged.

"Who doesn't?" I said with a sigh. "But you know what a good inspiration is?" I asked, nudging the 13 year old.

"What?" Jimmy asked, looking at me questioningly.

"'The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his.'" I quoted.

"George S. Patton!" Tom said and I looked over my shoulder to see him walking up to us.

"A man of inspiration." I said with a smile and he nodded.

"Who is George S. Patton?" Jimmy questioned, looking utterly lost.

"George S. Patton was a commander of the US Third Army, which under his leadership, advanced farther, captured more enemy prisoners, and liberated more territory in record time." Tom explained and I nodded.

"Faster than any other army in military history everywhere." I added.

"'There was never a good war, nor a bad peace.'" Tom quoted and I smirked at him.

"Benjamin Franklin. Good one, professor… 'If we don't end war, war will end us'." I shot back and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"H. G. Wells."

"The guy who wrote the War of the Worlds?" Jimmy asked and I nodded.

"'Accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.'"

"What? Oh, come on! That's another George S. Patton!" I accused and he laughed. "'One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one.'" I quoted, my voice softer.

"Agatha Christie. 'in peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.'" Tom quoted quietly, the playful atmosphere diminishing.

"...Killjoy." I muttered after a moment, Tom smiling and Jimmy snorting with laughter.

"He's trying to warn the Skitters, don't let him get away! He's going to warn the Skitters, stop him!" Ben's voice shouted out and the three of us whipped around to see Rick run into the guard post.

"Rick!" Tom lunged at him, but the boy leapt _over_ a fucking car. My eyes widened and I spun around, dashing out the opening, Ben doing the same. I heard someone shouting as I ran by, followed by a loud gun shot. Ben spun around, holding his arms up with a shocked expression, but I kept running. "Don't you ever raise a gun to my son!" I heard Tom shout in an infuriated voice.

I kept running for several minutes before I had to slow to a stop, doubling over with my hands on my knees and panting. "God damn it…" I cursed, heavily annoyed by my weakness as I was still recovering from the loss of blood. I sat down on the side of the road, trying to steady my breathing. I sat there for a few minutes when I tensed, grabbing my gun and aiming at the source of the noise. I paused, realizing it was Tom.

"Alyssa?" Tom asked in surprise. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I said, waving off his concern. "It's just too soon for me to be running around like this." I explained and he nodded.

"I'll try to find him." Tom said with a sigh. "Wait here." He commanded and I tiredly gave him a two fingered salute before he continued on quickly.

"I'll be here, whenever you feel like dropping by!" I called after him, leaning backwards until my shoulders touched the concrete sidewalk, at which point I relaxed my body, but kept my gun in my grasp.

* * *

><p>"The Skitters know where we are, and there's a good chance they're going to attack." Tom informed the fighters once we returned with Rick. "We all hoped we could hold on until the strike team came back, but that's too risky now, so I've decided to evacuate the civilians. We're going to walk them out through the tunnel behind the auditorium. Once through, they'll move west away from the city."<p>

"If the Skitters have the scent they'll be crawling all over this area." Margaret pointed out. "It's not going to be easy getting around them."

"That's why I'm going to stay behind… with a small group of volunteers. If the aliens attack we'll draw their fire, keep their focus on us, maybe open a window for the civilians to escape." Tom explained.

"But… how are we going to hold off the Skitters and Mechs? Our best soldiers are with Weaver." Jimmy pointed out uncertainly.

"I know how it sounds." Tom admitted after a second. "But I want you to think about where we are. Battles of Lexington and Concord were fought not too far from here. A small group of colonists against the entire might of the British Empire… nobody gave them much of a chance either. Patrick Henry called it. 'The battle is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, and the brave'." Tom quoted. "A small, disciplined militia can not only hold out against a larger force, but drive it back… because they are fighting for what rightfully belongs to them… This is our home. Our world."

"So remember that, if they come…" Tom concluded and I nodded slowly in agreement. "So let's go do this." He said and the people started leaving the room. After it was only Tom and I left, I looked at him and he sighed. "I know, Alyssa." He said and I raised an eyebrow in silent question. "I know what you're going to say, and while I disagree and want to say no, it's your choice to make."

"I want to stay." I confirmed with a nod.

"And stay you will, no matter what I say." He said and I grinned lightly. "You're too much like Hal for your own good." He shook his head in disbelief and I barked out laughter.

"Better go help people pack, Professor." I said, turning to leave. I paused in the doorway, looking at Tom with a serious expression. "'God who gave us life, gave us Liberty.'" I quoted, and Tom looked up from his gun. "Thomas Jefferson was a wise man, Professor… but he never said anything about not having to fight for that Liberty." With that, I left the room and went to the room I was staying in, going straight for the duffel bag sitting on my bed.

When I reached to zip it shut, my eyes landed on the dark blue book with royal blue designs, and I paused. After a moment of hesitation, I reached in and grabbed it, setting it down on the bed and zipping the bag shut. Throwing the bag onto my shoulder, I picked the book up and strode out of the room. "Hey, Anne?" I called as I walked into the infirmary, seeing her packing another bag.

"What's up, Alyssa?" She asked and I sighed heavily.

"I need to talk to you." I said seriously and she frowned, walking over so we were standing only a foot away from each other. I pulled a map out of my pocket, laying it out on the counter. "Do you have a pen?"

"Here." Anne picked one up off the desk a few feet away, passing it to me.

"Alright, look." I told her and she nodded, leaning down to read the map. "We are here." I made a tiny circle on the map. "Here," I pointed to a spot right on the east edge of the middle of Lake Rohunta. "is a small town called Eaglesville. When I got those supplies, Hal and I went there. It's completely deserted, and completely safe." I explained and Anne's brows furrowed. "To get there, you want to take this route." I traced the path with the pen, and then circled Eaglesville when the line reached it.

"It's all back roads and running paths through woods. You'll be safe, and have plenty of places to hide of trouble comes."

"You're staying here." Anne stated after a few minutes.

"I am." I confirmed with a nod and Anne sighed.

"So am I… I'll give this to Lourdes." She said and I nodded in agreement. "Lourdes!" Anne called, and the woman stuck her head around a corner in the infirmary.

"Yeah?"

"Come look at this." Anne said, motioning towards the map.

"This is where you want to go." I informed her once she looked at the map. "It's called Eaglesville , and it's away from any and all major cities. You shouldn't be bothered there." I told her and she nodded. "At the first sign of trouble, or once you run low on supplies, go to the Quabbin Reservoir, on the west side. Once there, follow this road here." I marked the road. "And go down," I drew a line down the map, "to here. The Skitters and Mechs probably won't even bother with that area, so it should be safe for a very long time."

"Got it." Lourdes nodded firmly.

"Okay… I have another thing, and it's personal." I said and Lourdes frowned at me. "I need you all to stay in Eaglesville for at least a month. If, by the end of that month, we haven't come… or I'm not with the people who do come, give this to Cecilia." I requested, offering Lourdes the blue book. "Tell her that this book is something her sister gave me, and that… and that I want her to forgive us and be happy, because all we ever wanted was for her to be happy." I said and Lourdes nodded with a soft expression, taking the book and sliding it into her own bag.

"I swear that I will." She said firmly and I smiled gratefully at her.

"Now… if something happens and you can't stay at the Reservoir anymore, go to secluded places far from cities, but not too far that there will still be people left." I told her and she nodded.

"I'll do my best."

"That's all you can be asked… and if anyone doubts this path, just tell them that Weaver agreed to it, because he did." I added and she nodded again.

"Will do." I turned on my heel and left the room, heading outside to help with the packing and preparations.

"Alyssa!" Tom called me over the second I reached the outdoors, and I hurried to him quickly.

"What's up?" I asked and he pointed to the only two dirt bikes left.

"Take one and station yourself somewhere safe. Come back when the Mechs are close." He ordered and I nodded, running over to the dirt bike and climbing on. "Good luck!" He called as I started it up, and I nodded at him quickly before jerking the bike forward and racing off.

* * *

><p><strong>Here you are! Enjoy =)<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

***heavy sigh* Well... I hate to spring this on you... but surprise!**

**This is the last chapter!**

**I know, I know. Broken hearts, furious reactions, I can't say I'm surprised. I love this story too =( But I've reached the end of the chapters, and there's just waaaaay too much speculation about Tom to make a sequel with him in it... so here's my proposition for you all.**

**I can either end this story where it is, which I think is a good ending for it until the next season of FS comes out... or I can make a sequel that'll have Alyssa and Hal together while the 2nd Mass recovers from their losses, finds a new home, and whatever else I decide to add, but will not have Tom returning or anything like that. You guys decide =).**

* * *

><p>"No time for sightseeing, boys." I called as I walked into the room Scott and Ben were in.<p>

"Alyssa? What are you doing here?" Ben asked in surprise.

"I'm here to help you with whatever you need." I explained, walking over to the windows and setting my rifle down on the sill. "The Mechs are going to reach us any minute, so be quick." I said, hooking my fingers under the window and raising it up. I lifted my gun back up as Scott and Ben started frantically searching through frequencies.

"MECH! IT'S COMING!" A scout shouted as he raced towards the school.

"Everybody down!" I heard Tom shout and I ducked behind a cabinet with a bunch of keys hanging from it.

"Guys, don't go into sight of the Mech." I said warningly and they nodded, listening intently for the frequency.

"There!" Ben said and Scott paused, holding his hand in place as I heard the Mech stomping towards us.

"Anything?" Scott asked and I glanced out the window quickly.

"No, it's still coming."

"Damn! They changed it again." Scott cursed. The Mech continued its approach, pausing right outside of the barricade. I heard the key sound of it charging its weapon, followed by Tom's shout.

"Alright, open fire!" He shouted and I spun away from the case, aiming out the window and firing at the Mech just like everyone else was. The Mech stumbled backwards, firing at random. One of the bullets went through one of the windows on the other side of the room, showering the floor with glass, but not touching anyone. The Mech fired one of its missiles, blowing up a small part of the barricade and sending a few fighters flying. Only a moment later, before it could fire anything else, it collapsed to the ground and didn't get back up.

"Woohoo!" I cheered, the other fighters cheering as well.

"I guess those Mech bullets really work, huh?" Scott asked with a grin, but the cheering didn't last long, as a moment later, the keys started rattling on the wall and the ground started shaking.

"What's…" I trailed off, my eyes widening. "Find that frequency _now_!" I shouted to them, their own eyes widening with fear and realization. I watched as at least nine Mechs stomped down the road towards us, my heart pumping rapidly with adrenaline.

"Everybody get down now!" Tom shouted. "Call out your ammo!"

"I got two!"

"Three!"

"Four!" I heard Jimmy, Maggie, and Dai call out.

"We've got to find the right frequency…" Scott mumbled under his breath.

"There, right there!" Ben said.

"Sorry… sorry, sorry." Scott said quickly, informing me that he went by it.

"Ah!" Ben cried out suddenly.

"Is that it?" Scott asked urgently.

"No, no. Back a bit." Ben said quickly, screaming out a moment later. "There it is… That's it, there it is."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "They're still coming!"

"We've got the frequency, but... maybe the signal's not strong enough." Scott said worriedly.

"Can we make it stronger?" I asked urgently.

"The generator's maxed out, but… maybe, uh… maybe a bigger antenna." Scott said uncertainly.

"How about the flagpole?" Ben asked.

"Well… it's metal… Okay." He said, moving around the room and grabbing jumpstart cables. He turned to me, holding them in his hands in silent question.

"Hand them over, quickly." I said, hurrying across the room to grab them from him. "What do I do?"

"Just attach it to the pole!" Scott said as he attached the other end to the radio. I took a deep, shaky breath, and swung myself out the window.

"Alyssa?" Tom's alarmed voice asked, but I didn't stop. I ran for the flagpole, my eyes narrowed with determination as the Mechs swung around to aim at me. I knew that if I could just reach the pole, if I could just attach them to the pole, that we'd be safe. Suddenly, I heard two gunshots, followed by several more, the Mechs getting distracted long enough for me to connect the two cable clips to the flagpole.

I instantly ducked behind the flagpole for cover, dropping to the ground. A moment later, I heard the gunshots slowing, followed by Mech steps. I looked up, alarm, to find them retreating. "The Mechs… they're running away… from us!" I heard Jimmy exclaim in a shocked tone.

"That's right!" Tom shouted on the top of his lungs. "And this is just the start! We beat them once, we can beat them again!"

"Yeah!" Jimmy shouted, followed by other cheers. I stood up, jumping up and down, my arms raised high and my own cheer mixing with the masses.

* * *

><p>"So wait… They thought it was smart to clone her <em>and<em> the alien queen inside of her, and then keep it prisoner and _breed_ it?"

"Within human hosts." I confirmed with a nod.

"And then they're _surprised _when the alien goes apeshit and kicks their asses?" Jimmy asked incredulously.

"Exactly! What the hell did they expect to happen?" I asked with a laugh. "Did they think that the alien would become a pet or something? I mean, come on!"

"Bunch of morons… But wait, I'm confused. How did they clone the alien queen in her when it burst out of her chest right before she died? For that matter, how did they clone _her_ in the first place when she was incinerated?" Jimmy asked in confusion.

"Who knows? It's Hollywood." I said with a shrug.

"But-"

"Dad!" Hal's voice cut Jimmy off and I whipped around with wide eyes to see Hal striding into the school.

"Hal?" Tom questioned in confusion, turning around with a surprised expression. "Thank god, you're back." Tom said as Hal walked up to him, having not noticed me yet as I was now standing behind him. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, dad… The 4th and 5th, they just never showed up."

"What about Weaver?"

"He's with Gibbs and Pope and Anthony at the west leg." Hal said and I exchanged glances with Jimmy. "They're going to try to complete the mission any way they can."

"By themselves?" Tom asked, alarmed. "That's suicide. Weaver's got to know that."

"Yeah, that's why they sent me back." Hal said with a sigh. "I guess they can't live with themselves if they didn't at least try."

"You just rode all the way in from Boston, and you didn't run into any trouble?" Tom asked.

"No, the roads were clear. Why?"

"Scotts jamming idea worked. It could be the aliens are withdrawing their forces, trying to figure out what just hit them…If that's true then there might be an opportunity." Tom said, taking his backpack off and handing it to a confused Hal. "Tell Scott I want the generator and the transmitter loaded onto a vehicle, all set and ready to go." Tom said quickly, turning and speed walking away from Hal.

"Dad, what are we doing?" Hal asked in confusion.

"I'll meet you there." Was all Tom said as he strode off.

"Jimmy." I began, turning towards him.

"See you." He said before I could say what I was going to say, and I grinned at him gratefully.

"Hal!" I called, getting Hal's attention. He spun around and smiled brightly at me.

"Alyssa!" Hal greeted, striding to me quickly and wrapping his arms around me. I hugged him back, but made it brief.

"Come on, we need to go see Scott." I said and Hal nodded, understanding.

* * *

><p>I sighed, leaning against Hal's chest, his arms wrapped around me loosely as we watched the roads from the roof of the school in the darkness of the night. "So… wait… They cloned an alien queen from a murderous race of aliens, <em>knowing<em> the queens were even _more_ volatile than the other aliens, and didn't expect anything to go wrong?" Hal asked incredulously.

"Exactly! Jimmy said the same thing!" I cried out in frustration. "What did they _think_ was going to happen? I mean, come _on_!" I groaned, leaning my head back so it was against his chest and looking up at his face. "I'm glad you're okay, Hal." I said after a moment of just looking at him.

"Same goes for you." He said quietly, aware that there were many others nearby also guarding from the roof.

"Do you think any of them will come back?" I asked softly and Hal shook his head.

"No… but I like to hope they will. There's a possibility Weaver and his team will come back, but… the others are gone. I'm certain." Hal said grimly.

"Damn… That cuts our fighting force in half… and the civilians are gone… We can't stay here, so we have to go after them." I said with a frown, looking forward again.

"Hey… something's coming… Incoming!" I shouted the last word, seeing a car approaching.

"That looks like Scott's truck." Hal said, his eyes widening. "Stay here, Alyssa." He said, pulling his arms away from me and turning away. I turned around, biting my lip as he rushed off of the roof. I chewed my lip as I turned back around, watching the truck pull up to the barricade.

"Someone get Anne!" Dai shouted as he ran to the back of the truck, a wounded Pope climbing out of the driver's seat and limping to join Dai. I saw someone running into the school, so I didn't bother going myself, instead watching as Dai and Pope lifted up a wounded Anthony, moving to carry him into the school. At that moment, Hal charged out and grabbed Anthony's feet, taking over for the injured Pope, and they went back into the school.

I watched the roads warily, and after several minutes, I began to wonder what was happening with Tom and with Weaver, and if either of them were even alive. Chewing my bottom lip uncertainly, I turned on my heel and hurried off the roof. I quickly made my way outside of the school, walking right by everyone in the barricade and climbing onto a dirt bike. "Where are you going?" Jimmy called.

"I'm just going to get close enough to be in sight of Boston. I'm just going to take a look for any damage and come straight back!" I called back as I drove away quickly, racing off towards Boston quickly.

* * *

><p>I looked through the binoculars, amazed and dumbfounded by what I was seeing. A stream of smoke had appeared in the air, leading up to a ship that then exploded and crashed into the Mothership, starting a series of explosions inside of the structure. My jaw dropped with shock at the sheer dumb luck, lowering my binoculars. Feeling joy swell in me, I spun my bike around and zoomed back to base, reaching it in only a few minutes. I pulled up into the barricade, leaping off the bike and jumping at a relieved Hal, hugging him and jumping up and down with joy.<p>

"They hit it! They hit the Mothership!" I screamed out with joy, everyone around me looked shell shocked for a few moments before Jimmy snapped them out of it with a loud cheer. "They blew their asses straight to hell!" I shouted on the top of my lungs and Hal laughed, grinning wider and laughing louder and more heartedly than I'd ever seen or heard him do before.

"They did it!" Hal cheer, wrapping his arms around me and spinning me around in a circle. I laughed gleefully, cut off when he set me down and crushed his lips to mine, holding me to him tightly. Cheers filled the night as we celebrated our victory, our successful first strike. After a few moments, we broke apart, grins threatening to split our faces, and we raised our guns up in the air. All together, as one force, as one overjoyed, successful force, the left over 2nd Mass fighters and scouts fired all the ammo we had into the sky.

Suddenly, Jimmy's voice rose above the gunshots and the cheering, singing a song that everyone else quickly joined in on. I grinned at Hal, who grinned widely back, and then opened my mouth to join in, him doing the same.

"We're not gonna take it,

No, we ain't gonna take it!  
>We're not gonna take it anymore!<p>

We've got the right to choose and

There ain't no way we'll lose it

This is our life, this is our song!  
>We'll fight the powers that be just,<p>

Don't pick our destiny cause

You don't know us,

You don't belong!

We're not gonna take it,

No! We ain't gonna take it!

We're not gonna take it anymore!" We all sang on the top of our lungs.

"Oh, you're so condescending

Your gall is never ending

We don't want nothing,

Not a thing from you!  
>Your life is trite and jaded,<p>

Boring and confiscated,

If that's your best,

Your best won't do!"

* * *

><p><strong>Booyah. I think that's a fitting end, don't you? I added that song because I know if I was there and heard the news, I would have instantly started singing it. Is that just me?<strong>

**Also, the song here is We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister for those who don't know it - and those who don't know it, I will never respond to any reviews by you unless you go and listen to it now. Consider yourself shunned :O**

**xD Alright, guys. This is the end of SWFF, but if you so choose, I suppose I'll be willing to write a sequel. I'm just not sure if I should =(**


	13. Update

**Update:**

**Hey, guys. So I guess I'll be writing a sequel xD**

**You have to give me a break, though! I have some friends and family visiting, and they are staying with us atm. I was also sick for quite a while, so that also made me fall behind on my writing. Not to mention the fact that I have no idea what to do!**

**D:**

**I'm in despair here! I've started chapter 1, but with everything going on it's going super slow, and I'm entirely clueless as to where I should go with the story - though where ever it is, I'm taking the story there, so don't worry. This sequel will be written!**

**...but until it gets written, just know that I'm trying, but the real world is taking up all my time for the moment =(**

**In other news, I came up with another story idea for FS that I intend to put on the site once I finish up this sequel. Your support has just been fantastic, and I'm proud to say I was the very first person to post an FS story that was longer than 8k words! ^^**

**...Uhg. Talk about a nerd moment there xD Oh well, we're all nerds on the inside, eh?**

**Point is, don't fret. I swear that I will have this sequel up and posted, and probably starting within the next week. (_Probably._ Don't hold me to it, I get sick a lot, and I'm going on a trip this Sunday. It's only a one day trip, but it might delay me a bit.)**

**And thank you all so much for the support. If you have any ideas on the sequel, I'll be glad to hear them. I have a lot of it planned out, but I have no idea how to end it... It'll probably be some abrupt ending, like:**

**Alyssa : Hal, I'm exhausted from kicking Mech and Skitter ass ever since Tom was abducted. I'm calling it a night.**

**Hal : Night.**

**Then she goes to bed and that's the end of the story.**

**...**

**You guys would probably hate me for that, wouldn't you? *sheepish grin***

**One last thing! Since I'm starting it with the first chapter happening just a week after SWFF ended, and since this story is still pretty short, should I just post the sequel here as a part 2, or as a whole other story?**


End file.
